Cockroaches

The performance was created before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. I was using tubes designed for oxygen therapy, i.e. treatment with inhaled oxygen. This therapy is said to help patients with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary diseases, improving their quality of life and prolonging it. I have also worked with exotic cockroaches and audience interaction. Children in particular responded well to the cockroaches, which are usually synonymous with something feared and unclean. Another level of the performance was the actual bringing of the cockroaches into the rigid space of the National Gallery. It was interesting that the otherwise uninvolved curators became allies in the smuggling of cockroaches. The performance was part of the long-running collective performance Theatrum Mundi, 27 April 2019, Veletržní palác, National Gallery Prague, curator + concept: Darina Alster.

Photo: Camila Vieira and Robert Carrithers.