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Henry
"Cold and Dark"
Museum of Contemporary Art Vaasa Finland
November 2010
In this performance, Myk Henry uses the basic elements of temperature, light and sound to explore how the basics of life: air, food, water, shelter and light are being jeopardized. He creates an eclectic atmosphere, both thought provoking and emotionally charged at the same time.
Henry crawl's into the freezing cold space, naked and pushing a slab of ice with his head. At the same time he is shaking a rattle and shoving a lantern along the floor while chanting "hiding behind a block of ice".
He set's the slab of ice down on a frame approaches several people in the crowd hugging them for a few seconds to warm up. Moving over to each window he stops before closing it to shout "Air, Water, Food, Shelter, Light". Henry come's back to the block of ice and pours some vodka over it. He licks it saying "ahh Finlandia".
A blow torch is lit and placed next to the block of ice which begins to slowly melt. Henry get's dressed and holds up an umbrella with no fabric saying: " They said it would snow...what do they know". He then take's a handful of snow throwing it up in the air. "But what do they know". The snow falls through the skeleton umbrella.
An LED sign on Herny's shirt light's up saying: "They said it would be cold and dark". He then take's a mini black light and begins to demarkate his face with light streaks. He takes a camera flash and further illuminates his face approaching several people whispering into their ears and placing a note in their hands. Henry then askes each person to read aloud the message s written on the notes.
At this point the performance turns into a shamanic ritual where Henry asks some of the audience to lie down on blankets provided. He distributes hot water bottles to the participants and begins to shake rattles and burn a sod of turf. He blows the turf smoke into the hair of each person laying on the floor and a projection of a swriling vortex begins along with a trance sounding music.
The vortex is projected onto Henry while he swings a glowing red ball in circles around his head and gradually the performance concludes. Each participant is given a hot glass of apple cider.
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