DIAMOND STINGILY – Death

About

Scene 1

In a white room seven little girls with their hair braided in different styles play double dutch and hand games. They are dressed in what most people would consider their Sunday’s best or Easter clothing. They are all shiny, well moisturized and hydrated. They pay no attention to the gazes of the audience. They play until the audience seems uncomfortable. They never address the audience together, only as individuals.

All the girls in unison: Down on the farm said hanky panky, said bulldog, bulldog, hanky panky, said fee-fi-fo-fum. Pass it to the bulldog. Mickey Mouse built a house. Donald Duck quacked it up. Who will pay the consequences? Y- O-U spells you are out!

Girl 7 is the oldest girl. She points to the audience.

Girl 5: Who are you pointing to?

Girl 4 walks over to Girl 5 and Girl 7 over to hear what Girl 7 says, she looks at the audience then quickly looks away. Girl 7 giggles and walks away to another group of girls to the deliver the message

Girl 5: Well what the fuck are ya’ll looking at?

All the girls look at Girl 5

Girl 2 and 3: Who are you talking to now?

Girl 5: (points into audience) Them.

Girl 1: (bluntly) You have to stop thinking people see you as the same person you once were.

Girl 2 suddenly falls on her back and begins to shake violently. The other girls have formed a circle around Girl 2. Her eyes are closed. All the audience members can see are her little shoes and lace socks shake. She stops shaking.

Girl 7: She’s doing that thing she does again.

The girls all looked at Girl 7 as if it should be her on the floor.

Girl 1: Hush. We’ve all done it.

Girl 3: Do you think she’s dead?

Girl 6: No, she’s only hurt or I don’t know maybe she did die but either way something will come back.

Girl 2: (springs up suddenly with large hole in her head, she is covered in blood) I have to stop thinking people see me as the same person I once was (she runs off, all the little girls run after her).

Diamond Stingily (b. 1990, Chicago) lives and works in New York. She has presented solo exhibitions at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; and a forthcoming exhibition at Kunstverein München, Munich. Group exhibitions include Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin and the surveys2018 Triennial: Songs of Sabotage and Trigger: Gender As A Tool and a Weapon at the New Museum, New York. This is her second solo exhibition at the gallery.