Performance: Labour Dublin 2012. Duration 8 hours. Photographer Michael Holly.
Linked through movements, rituals, images and objects, agreed in our preparations, we perform in separate cities at the same time and for the eight hour duration in Labour. We are workmen, council workers, carrying our brushes and sacks through the streets among the inhabitants, visitors and businesses of these two cities. In Dublin there is a Scottish v Ireland Rugby match. In Istanbul the International women's day March. All is not as it seems.
A man with beer cans is shouting abusive comments at some of the women performers in the Lab. Facing him with the man-to-man look, the former recognises the gestural language and moves away. Inside the gallery the other women performers continue their eight hour working day, One invigilator wants the intruding 'man' stopped from engaging with the other performers in the Lab when she is informed the 'man' is one of the performing artists.
In both cities we carry bags with white substance. In Dublin it is salt and it leaves a trail. Its properties of cleansing, corrosiveness, and relatedness to humans is significant to this area and its Monto history.
In the park on Foley Street a man shouts at the woman with the video camera to leave the council worker alone and let 'him' get on with his job. This sense of 'us' against those others is reinforced and in it there is a quality of kinship and care.
