It's
interesting to see how the performative nature has changed since the first
time: it has unfolded into a ritual, a participatory event. No longer are there
2 performers exploring*, but, perhaps, a community created for those 6 hours.
And the song, with nothing new added since 2012*, has embedded into the sound
of the space.
Then
thinking of the different ways of moving for me - the phrase of movement and
the following my body: the phrase is performative, it is like a spoken prayer,
a song sung. Although it is set it changes and different parts become
emphasised, year by year or hour by hour.
Lou’s*
last live vocals were in 2012 as she was unable to be there in 2013 as she had
recently given birth. And 2014 was her last UHH: she was unable to sing, but
her listening and presence were as strong as ever. She spent the last hour or
so downstairs with me. At the end we knew we’d done it – we’ve achieved the
thing we sought. By then people were coming to meditate or pray, to just be in
the space, not to watch.
In
2015 I invited people who used movement as prayer or contemplation to move in
the space. Regardless of whether they respond to me in any way, it supports me
and has enabled me to continue. I noticed that many of those who were there in
stillness had bare feet and were lying down! In 2015 I found myself moving with
two people, and last year there was playful interaction with one of those
movers – at a moment that I could have crumpled, a moment where I wondered if I
could move at all.
After 2 years of UHH Lou and I agreed on a name for what we were doing: an act of devotion.
when we were two
