A couplet, “I snuggle into the wedding chamber from my tomb bed, my shin as the lintel; I snuggle into the tomb bed from my wedding chamber, my hair as the quilt, the spirit-guiding streamer,” is intricately embroidered on a white drape reminiscent of typical Chinese funeral decor. This starkly contrasts with the red veil traditionally worn by Chinese brides. Inspired by the enduring practice of ghost marriages in rural China, the performance installation discusses the necrotechnic of entombment, through which physical corpses are rendered virtual and effective as assets of the realm of yang kept in pawn in the realm of yin.
The performer engages in a poignant encounter with the corpse-bride through a wedding makeup ritual. Notably, the nuances of this ritual elude capture by the infra-red camera medium.
An excerpt of the text read by Hajra and Hubert during the performance: “She hears vaguely a pre-recorded wailing from above the ground. Whether a funeral should be rehearsed or improvised still puzzles her. Her wedding colludes with a funeral that’s not hers. It is no coincidence that the active yang refers to male and the receptive yin refers to female. She is manufactured into a corpse bride to fulfill the sweet promise: To fertilize his reincarnation.”
The performer engages in a poignant encounter with the corpse-bride through a wedding makeup ritual. Notably, the nuances of this ritual elude capture by the infra-red camera medium.
An excerpt of the text read by Hajra and Hubert during the performance: “She hears vaguely a pre-recorded wailing from above the ground. Whether a funeral should be rehearsed or improvised still puzzles her. Her wedding colludes with a funeral that’s not hers. It is no coincidence that the active yang refers to male and the receptive yin refers to female. She is manufactured into a corpse bride to fulfill the sweet promise: To fertilize his reincarnation.”
I Snuggle Into The Tomb Bed From My Wedding Chamber, My Hair Is The Quilt The Spirit-guiding Streamer
2022
embroidery on textiles, infrared camera, laptop, dimensions variable
performance installation, 27'00'', spoken words and sound, performed with Hajra Haider Karrar and Hubert Gromny
Installation View and Opening Performance at "How Will You Ascertain Time?" (2022) curated by Hajra Haider Karrar and Sagal Farah, SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin
