In Earth and Reveries of Will, Gaston Bachelard describes the psychology of gravity as that ‘which makes us heavy, tired, slow, unsteady on our feet’.[1]  In an attempt to yet again ‘evade gravity’ (see I look up…I look down) the installation and performance, Kinaree, was first shown at the National Review of Live Art 2003 before touring to other venues.  

 

For 8 hours a day, over 3 days, Kinaree was a live performance where a body, covered in fat & honey, was enclosed within a feather filled glass structure. 

The external view of the structure resembled a giant snow dome, and just as one can create a snow scene with a simple shake of the dome, the presence of people with in the space surrounding the glass structure triggered the circulation of feathers. 

 

In contrast to the external view of the feathered snow blizzard, a monitor displayed the view from within the glass structure through a live feed from a number of fixed miniature cameras.  From this internal perspective, the body appears trapped in a scientific experiment, being constantly monitored as it attempts to metamorphose into half bird, half human, in the hope that one day, the ability to fly will become an innate part of the physical human body.

                        

* Kinaree is a Thai mythological creature – half woman, half bird.

 

[1] Bachelard Gaston (2002 (1943) ) Earth and Reveries of Will: An essay on the imagination of matte, Dallas, TX: The Dallas Institute Publications