Tug of Warp: Nuit Blanche 2009
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2009
Tug of Warp
In the middle of an urban centre two looms work together to create a piece of fabric, highlighting communication and creation and the need for cooperation present in our lives. Set in Zone B where we find major banks, new condo developments, sports complexes, empty alleyways and the vestiges of Toronto’s industrial past, I will carry out a performance about labour and production. In particular, the project will highlight the contrasting elements of the city and the conflict which arises from these differences.
The project itself positions two artists 20 metres apart, weaving on separate looms attached by a single warp. Facing each other, but at a great distance to start, each artist will weave on their end. In doing so, they’ll be slowly tugging themselves and their loom closer to the other. The closer the two become, the more challenges they will face as one person’s actions impact upon the other. To highlight the struggle, the back and forth and the possible synchronization of the weaving process the warp and the weft threads will both be painted using a glow in the dark pigment. With the warp and weft painted in a neon glow, the audience will watch through the night as the looms tug each other back and forth until, at last, they meet.
This process demonstrates the transformation of autonomous agents to collaborative partners. Whether they want to or not, the artists must develop forms of communication as the looms get in closer proximity. Once the looms are within approximately 5 metres of each other, whatever threads one person decides to lift will also be lifted on the other’s side. This means that all actions by one artist will affect the other threads too, although each will enter the process with different visions of their work and means of producing it, they must adapt their piece and allow for the other’s actions to be integrated into their own work. These ties demand adaptation on the part of the artists and require the development of non-verbal communication in order to continue their work and get the fabric woven to the end
The audience will observe this process, with the weaving paced throughout the evening, allowing for time considerations such as stopping to find and fix a broken thread, winding a new bobbin, and allowing for unexpected occurrences. But eventually, by the time the sun begins to rise, the looms will be nearly out of warp and facing each other, end to end. The night’s labour will have been about a single project, yet in the end there must be two distinct works. To free the weaving from the looms the warp will be sliced in half, demonstrating the unique product of each artist and the impact of the other on their work.
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