WESTERN FRONT – Man of Teak, Desperate Desire, Scented Island

Description:

British performance art duo Marty St. James and Anne Wilson performed three works in the Grand Luxe Hall:

Man of Teak explored the dynamics of a professional relationship in the office setting, in which Wilson played a female staff member reduced to a piece of furniture.

Desperate Desire was a domestic romance haunted by decay, as an idyllic home disintegrates into a derelict ruin where danger lurks beneath the surface.

Scented Island evoked the tropes of pulp romance, unfolding amidst whispering palms and sea breezes tinged with the smell of aftershave.

In black and white, onstage stands Anne Wilson staring intently ahead, hands raised, blurred with motion in front of her face. Her hair is pulled back, and she wears glasses, a suit jacket and a long skirt. Beside her sits Marty St. James, head down, legs crossed, wearing a suit. A microphone sits behind them.

In black and white, onstage under a wooden chair, crouches Anne Wilson. The bottom of the seat rests on her head, as she holds the two front legs in her hands. She looks ahead.

In black and white, onstage Anne Wilson sits in a large elaborate tulle dress, with a polka-dotted apron and scarf wrapped around her head. She looks forward, arms raised, elbows at shoulder height to her side. Marty St. James stands beside, in a white dinner jacket and dark pants, hair slicked back, holding something in his hands.

In black and white, onstage, Anne Wilson stands brandishing a vacuum cleaner’s head upwards, where her gaze holds. She wears a light dress with a large tulle skirt, and a polka-dotted apron, matching head scarf. Back turned to meet hers, stands Marty St. James in a white suit jacket.

In black and white, onstage, Marty St. James stands arms outstretched with a closed-lipped smile, gazing upwards. He wears a white dinner jacket with dark pants. Behind his arm stands Anne Wilson, holding a feather duster. She wears a wide-skirted dress with a polka-dotted apron.

In black and white, onstage, lies Anne Wilson. Her left leg is raised off the ground, hovering, both feet wearing dark shoes with wide fluffy trim. She wears a dress with a large skirt and a matching apron and head wrap. A chair and Marty St. James both stand behind her.

In black and white, onstage, Anne Wilson and Marty St. James, stand dancing hand in hand. Both wear curly blond wigs and smiles. St. James wears a dark tuxedo, and Wilson wears a light embroidered dress with a wide tulle skirt.

In black and white, in a spotlight, Anne Wilson and Marty St. James stand, costumed as magician and assistant. Wilson wears rabbit ears, holding a dark top hat, St. James a tuxedo and a magician's wand. A chair stands between them with a cape draped over it. To the side stand three TVs stacked atop each other.

Captions:

Man of Teak, Desperate Desire, Scented Island (1986), photo documentation, Nov 3, 1986.
Anne Wilson at Western Front, photo documentation, Nov 3, 1986.
Anne Wilson and Marty St. James at Western Front, photo documentation, Nov 3, 1986.
Anne Wilson and Marty St. James at Western Front, photo documentation, Nov 3, 1986.
Anne Wilson and Marty St. James at Western Front, photo documentation, Nov 3, 1986.
Anne Wilson at Western Front, photo documentation, Nov 3, 1986.
Anne Wilson and Marty St. James at Western Front, photo documentation, Nov 3, 1986.
Anne Wilson and Marty St. James at Western Front, photo documentation, Nov 3, 1986.

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Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.