OR, LIFE, OR

Installation for performance OR LIFE OR. Text and performance by Hannah Black, sound by Bonaventure (Soraya Lutangu). Commission by MoMA PS1, New York, 2017

The performance Or LIFE OR is a deconstructed adventure loosely based on the Wikipedia entry for “life”, as well as the field of catastrophic risk analysis in which the possibility of apocalyptic disaster is assessed in corporate terms. Taking place in a pre- or post-human landscape the audience is seated in a circle around large pools cut out from the floor. Pools are filled with black ink and dye, seeping into the carpet. Excerpts from the live spoken text are projected in reverse with a laser projector onto the water surface, with only the reflections on the walls being legible. A single flag hangs from a pole.