In the first interaction, in which the performative experience derives from the food itself, some chocolate hearts are handed around to trigger thought. In the second interaction, a philosophical dialogue sparks the experience of thought.
PARALLAX
Act I • INTRODUCTION TO THE GASTROPERFORMANCE
You are all invited
Please sit down
The speaker will not start until everyone is seated.
Welcome
I am here to give you a new organism
Which embodies the true and immortal freedom
Which will replace serenity with exuberance
Foresight with experimentation
Bashfulness with daring
The heart signifies life
But also enlightenment
about discontinuity
Feelings etched onto the heart:
Awareness will arise at some point
Like an unexpected visitor.
For each one of you it has been sent
As a guide to the beyond.
Misunderstood, vilified, unwelcome
Gastroperformance is here
Making way for flavour
For rapture.
For new action spaces
Act II • EAT THE BEAST
I kill, I eat, I enjoy
I strike and slaughter
rabbit, chicken, cow
jumping sautéed frog
skipping stew
bleeding pig
dancing loin
squealing blood
crackling flour
I wring the neck
I sip the broth
I stew the sauce
I merge with the beast
I merge with the beast
I merge with the beast
grunting and mooing
I save the earth
meat cell
pig fish rabbit
cell trunk
I know it’s good
Act III • EAT THE EARTH
sonocide
mute science
trapped word
hurried heart
artificial
sick land
ground time
baked brick
preheated
sand and stone
activated carbon
oil extract
crushed bitumen
shining mineral
at people’s house
light and heavy
fossil plastic
reinforced concrete
vomits gravel
spawns cyclone
tornadoes typhoons
adds gas
inflates greenhouse
fries, fries, fries
throbs
snuffs out
chokes
stifles
stops beating
Act 4 • EAT THE HEART
I purify my spirit
I eat hearts
the flow is turbulent
a minute is eternal
loving cooking
eating toasting
going through changes
an irregular impulse
shakes the heart
blood pulse
blood pulse
electric muscle
chaotic movement
air is short air is short
throbbing, throbbing
praising the heart
drenched stew
drenched stew
saturated and drunk
filled with ardour