memory to the marrow

"memory to the marrow" was a show at projectspace B431 [a small white light-box type space at elam art school in Auckland.] from 28 April to the 1 May 2010. this show involved work by luke willis thompson and sue-li tasker yeo.

works by luke willis thompson included two framed photographic prints:

--Post preparation (still left, from second year performance involving ceremonial ta'ovala mats and tapa) 2007

and

--still right (my visit to see my father's body, filmed privately at J B Weir funeral home, Ponsonby) 2009.

another wall held Lengths (piano/smile) 2010, this was made of bone and japanned nails.

in the centre of the space was Lengths, 2010, consisting of helium gas, balloons and white cotton string.

as part of this show at 6.00pm on Wednesday 28 April 2010 sue-li tasker yeo contributed a performance piece. this consisted of sue-li telling the crowd who had gathered for the show's opening a story. sue-li stood in the doorway telling her story, with the yellow-glassy box of the gallery lit up behind her. it was a blue-autumn evening under the large trees that stretch over the elam buildings and the audience was by this time filled with the merriment of complementary gin+tonics, whiskey and beer... sue-li's story was about a prophecy made upon her father's birth in malaysia, that he would leave malaysia one day and that upon his return would die. the act of recounting this story was quite emotional, sue-li's voice at times was strained as she attempted to include the large audience in the telling and at times she smiled nervously, looked down and paused. at the end of the story everyone clapped and slowly dispersed.

the act of sue-li's telling of an intimate story and recollection served to gather up the disparate elements of memory to the marrow. the story enmeshed with luke willis thompson's photographs:

1) the photograph of his visit to see his father's body and
2) the photograph of his encircling himself in the apparent comfort of tapa cloth...

as well as his installation:

Lengths (piano/smile) was a small construction nailed to the wall. fragments of bone, some gently sloping upwards into smiles balanced upon a collection of nails. These ivory splinters recalled shattered piano keys or broken chopsticks as well as wobbly grins.

Lengths consisted of two white balloons, one tall, one short levitating in the middle of the gallery.

such is the stuff memories are made of, balloons from birthday parties and celebrations long past, feelings deep within our bones, visitations to the husks of departed loved ones and nervously recounted family anecdotes...

the chill of an autumn evening, the warmth of mid-week gin and the light of an open gallery combined with the off-white materiality of bone and balloon, the hush of a crowd and a nervous narration created a particular event. an acknowledgment of memory, storytelling and all that comes in-between...