Act Art Review

I performed an act called "Terry Von' Straus, the man of today".
You can see a video of this piece, performed a month earlier in Sheffield, I have the footage from Act Art but am editing it at present
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bKep0bp9Io4
It is a performance about a character or alter ego, Named Terry. He works in a office and hates his life, although he would not admit it. One day he has enough and brings a hand saw into work hidden in his suit case. Finally he decides to climb onto his desk and saw through it.

My experience of Act Art

So I found out I would be performing at act art about 3 months ago. I'm not based in London and was exhibited about performing there. Having found the submission for the show online. I was uncertain for what I was getting my self in for looking at some of the other acts. At first it was quite daunting. I thought that my work was going to be shown in a fetish club and I wasn't sure that it would fit. But I try and do as many shows to as many different audiences as possible.
So first arriving at London Bridge station I found my way to the club. Three arches and two smaller rooms. As you you entered there was a large screen on which a showreel of various films in different styles and approaches. There was a 4 foot high plastic shelter erected in the center of the room. a girl inside with a painted white face and red lipstick was sitting sober inside. A sign stated something informing you that if you acted her to do something she would do it. A piece of paper stated "This wasnt how my life was meant to turn out", (or something like that).
Early in the evening I found my way outside to a court yard and saw to men fully clothed wrestling on a homemade ring and sipping shots of gin at the end of each round.
In the the smaller rooms there was one of the highlights. A peep show/ home made porn show brought to a club. I young guy sat dressed as a typical geeky cartoon like character. He sat in front of a computer screen, his trousers around his ankles. All night he willed people on to enter the constructed booths where you could be alone with a partner or partners. Effectively being watched all the time by him and anyone else who entered another booth with a monitor presenting the live porn show. He eagerly tried to make me enter and perform for him.
I asked him what his thoughts on it where and he told some facts stating that we are on CCTV something like 400 times a day in London and he likes this because he likes to dress up and smile to the camera and hopefully somewhere someone would be turned on by this. I liked his explanation.
I the far room there was a man dressed in a gimp mask. He gave the control to the audience to paint on him and film him.
There was another screen and this showed one of my favorite videos of the night. I girl dressed in hot pants and a small top, crawled in field with a slick attached to her head. Dangling from the stick was a carrot. The other participant in the film was a donkey who was intrigued and attracted by this carrot and girl. It became this strange and beautiful play between these to representing species.
I was performing in the central arch.
Various different artists bounced back and forth from the main stage and the opposite stage. It was compared by Timberlina. A cross dressing whitty compair with a ukelele. Highlights included two guys spitting into each others faces on stage and what can only be described as a broad shouldered woman with large hands, painted gold with breasts and a penis.


PUBLIC INTERACTION
While the public watched me perform Terry. It was a mixed reaction. I have performed this live else where for a exhibition of art work themed in humor. The crowd at act art where a mixture of those who where there for titillation or the sexually charged environment of nudity and self expression as well as those as living performance, walking around in gimp masks and chains, and those who had come to see art.
While on top of my desk and sawing through, there began to grow a sense of support. One guy shouted from the crowd
"Go on son!".
A part of me cynical thinks that this could be interpreted as taking the piss
but I feel the audience there was really appreciative of putting them selves into the artists head and understanding works. They were also able to relax with what was going on and have a party. Of which it was really good fun.