Paul Litherland

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Insecurity, 1999

variable

48 hours

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“Insecurity” from <i>Insecurity</i>, 1999 –
– Performance of Insecurity

“Insecurity” from Insecurity – Performance of Insecurity

Insecurity

1999

variable

48 hours

Insecurity is a performance in which two security guards sleep on the floor in a dimly lit room, during the opening hours of the exhibition. There is a projection on the wall of a tree that was cut down to a stump after the 1998 Montreal ice storm, but sprouted many new branches, apparently not understanding that it was supposed to stop being a tree.

The performance took place in the context of the exhibition 48 hours / 48 rooms. A rooming house had been emptied out and was waiting to be transformed into a residential condo project.

Positioning figures of authority as vulnerable goes against the grain. The security agents are not just nodding off in a chair while on the job, they are sleeping on mats on the floor, and have left the door open. The world is free to do as it likes while the agents of control are taking a break. Where does our sense of security lie? Perhaps they are the security guards of sleep, making sure that the dreams don’t get out of hand.

The presence of the tree problematizes the tendency of voyeurism on the part of the viewer, and thus a simple inversion of power relations. It stands as a silent witness to the relationship between the viewers and the performers and is a direct metaphor for resistance.

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Exhibition history
48 hours: (group show); May 7-9, 1999; Rented space, 4004 rue St. Denis, Montreal, QC; A weekend of site specific installations, performance, photography, painting and sculpture. The location is a former rooming house about to undergo transformation to condominiums. Un fin de semaine artistique comprenent des installations in situ, des performances, de la photographie, de la peinture et de la sculpture.; Other artist(s): Diane Borsato, Jo-Anne Balcaen, Display Cult and many others.; Curator(s): Ingrid Bachmann, Lorraine Oades

Extras

Component Pages for this work: Insecurity video documentation

Work type:: Performances

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