An Online Collaboration of Performance Art and Expression
Lumkile Mzayiya and Nicolene Burger started collaborating in 2019 and decided to push their joint efforts into a new realm when COVID-19 forced them both to stay in separate provinces.
We are both drawn to the emotive power of performance. In our brainstorm and planning sessions over ZOOM for this project, it became clear that both of our work have also started centering around issues that make us feel trapped, silent, isolated, frustrated, and more uncomfortable emotions. We started talking about how we wish it was allowed to express these feelings when they come up in public, instead of keeping them inside our bodies until we are in a safe space at home. Keeping difficult feelings inside, to us, seem to add to getting stuck mentally and even effects our physical well-being. We want to create a space where individuals feel free to respond honestly about what it is they feel in connection to our bodies in performance- a space where feelings of being lost, enclosed, stuck, confused, and more are normalized and encouraged to be expressed. A space where viewers get to see into our homes as we process emotions we don’t feel we are allowed to in public. A space where the artist does not prescribe (in over-complicated words) what it is her/his audience is supposed to feel but instead shifts the focus of the piece entirely to the first unscripted reaction of the viewer.
Anyone with access will be able to log in and watch us for 7 minutes performing on ZOOM and then share your feelings in any way you want.
DONATE HERE
Nedbank
Acc number: 1195824807
Read more about the artist here
We are creating this project independently and therefore need as much support from our audience as possible.
We ask that you donate to the respective artists whatever you feel comfortable for every online engagement you attend.
We suggest a base donation of R50 per artist per performance.
N Burger
ABSA
TJEK
Rek no: 4083306603
Branch code: 632005
Reference: Evoked
Read more about the artist here
Lumkile Mzayiya
“I’m a contemporary artist, born and raised in a small town called Matatiele in the Eastern Cape. Growing up in a rural area under the Drakensberg mountains was very exciting but had cultural and religious limitations. I was always fascinated by the idea of leaving home to do something different and live a city life. But now it’s different, I feel like one could be who or what ever they aspire to be in life despite of their designation, with the help of technology.... watch this space!”
Nicolene burger
Through my work in both oil painting and performance art I investigate the intersection of personal narrative and public narratives. The public realm is a very ambiguous place since it is where what is private and what is public intersect. I conceive this intersection to manifest itself in/on the body of the individual as it moves through the public realm. Although narrative is projected onto objects and landscapes- it is from the body that it is projected. The body is thus recognised in my work as a site where story is inscribed, and through extending the body into landscape and landscape into body, I hope to create a visceral experience of the fragmented and distorted ways of being human in the modern world.
