The Performance where I left

Being passed along during The Performance where I Left - Briony Godivala, photo by Alicia Bickerstaff

 
 

GSA Students Association CABARET

The Vic Bar, Glasgow

08.03.2024

This performance was part of the Glasgow School of Art Trans Fundraiser Cabaret organised by the GSASA, a night involving drag, poetry, dance and performance art by trans and non-binary students.

For this I adjusted my Holding Up performance for a cabaret show.

Artist Instructions

  1. Stand on the stage

  2. Ask the audience to move into a single aisle, filling the space from the stage to the exit

  3. Take off your shoes

  4. Ask the audience to get you out of there

  5. Be lifted by the crowd through the room

  6. Leave the venue

I took the mic with me, saying things such as: ‘thank you for all the support’ ‘please get me to the door’ ‘I don’t know what kind of performance anyone expected me to do on a stage’ ‘i hope everyones having a good night’

The big differences between my previous performances and this, is that

  • I am speaking

Rather than staying silent and having the audience guess my intentions, my intentions are clear and the audience is /relatively/ more comfortable. Speaking also maintains a clearer an element of humour, as I am awkwardly breaking the ice in the hands of strangers.

  • It ends when I get to the door

My past performance had an indefinite end, with a tension between the performer and the only apparent ending: hitting the floor. This performance ends when I reach the door.

  • The audience

Everyone was seated and therefore asked to stand, from this they had unknowingly opted into participation (despite not knowing what for) rather than having to choose to participate previously. Also the audience here was majority art students and a supportive queer community, compared to the mix of ages in the Degree Show.

This time there were no old men to panic (maybe next time).

Despite this, my performance retained definite themes of tension, absurdity, awkwardness and support. An unusual transition through space aided and controlled by the audience.

My shoes were left on the stage where i stood, I did not need my shoes anymore.