A Performance by Lee Machell

7pm (prompt) Friday 15th September 2006
At Cow Lane Studios, Cow Lane, Salford M5 4NB

A performance by the visual artist Lee Machell will depict a parody of gestures that symbolise nurturing and intimacy. The second of four pilot programme performances hosted by Live art WOC. Lee Machell is an artist living and working in Salford. In 2005 he graduated from a BA Hons course in Visual arts at Salford University. Lee’s work explores poetic parodies often referencing his own personal history; his work is site specific and he uses sculpture, installation and performance.

An intimate solo performance with extreme focus. Spot lit on the cold tiled floor sat a white ceramic sink full of eggs coated in a layer of talc. Placed beside this was a cylindrical pole about 3' long covered in floral fabric. The artist quietly entered the space, knelt down and began gently blowing the talc off the eggs, filling the air with a cloud of scented dust. Once all the powder was removed the artist began a gradual process of grinding the shells of the eggs using the fabric coated pole; with deliberate, slow, controlled actions which made the pole appear heavy. The sound of this process and the quietness in the room created an unexpected tension. The performance ended when the artist placed the pole back in its starting position.

Photographs by Kevin Linnane 2006