Aaron Williamson with Rainham Sheds Demonstrating the World

About

Aaron Williamson with Rainham Sheds
Demonstrating the World

Wednesday 25 May, 8pm
The Performance Studio at The NINES, Peckham

Free, but booking is essential
Please RSVP to admin@theperformancestudio.co.uk

In Demonstrating the World, Aaron Williamson explores the alien or other through an absurdly elaborate, live reinterpretation of YouTube ‘How-To’ videos. Drawing from this contemporary archive of folk performance, Williamson enacts everyday tasks such as opening a cupboard, removing a jacket, or sitting on a chair, with detailed step-by-step instructions. He illustrates the required posture, hand-shapes and describes the shifting of muscular tension – both reinforcing and destabilising their apparent familiarity.

Williamson highlights the sculptural qualities of ergonomic design through the use of a radically displaced domestic interior, designed in collaboration with architect Ida Martin and built by Studio LW. Separated from their expected practical function, this unique series of household objects opens a space to question the intuitive negotiation of even the most habitual and self-evident activity.

Drawing upon Willimson’s long-standing research interest in slapstick and silent comedy, the multi-function furniture is concieved, in part, in reference to Buster Keaton’s silent film The Electric House (1922), which will be screened as part of the event. Rainham Sheds will perform a newly commissioned live soundtrack to the film, using their song ‘Sex with Furniture’ as a starting point for improvisation and punk durational sound.

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Aaron Williamson’s interdisciplinary engagement with performance, objects, place and space is inspired by his experience of becoming deaf and by a politicised yet humorous sensibility towards disability.

During the last twenty years he has created over 300 performances, interventions, videos, installations and publications for museums and festivals around the world, as well as mountains, rivers, volcanic craters, small islands, rooftops and a single-car lock-up garage in Hackney.

www.aaronwilliamson.org

demonstratingtheworld.tumblr.com

The Rainham Sheds are Kate Mahony – vocals, Gemma Fleet – guitar, Jenna Finch – drums, and Maria Doohan – keys.

They sing about theorists, Art Stars, shit jobs, mega-banter, sex with furniture and reminding themselves that he's not her dad.

https://soundcloud.com/rainham-sheds

Sign interpretation and audio description
Aaron Williamson’s performance will be sign interpreted and audio described. The audio description is built into the work as Aaron provides real-time verbal descriptions of the objects he uses, the actions and gestures he makes and the postures he adopts.