WESTERN FRONT – Silly Ceremonies

Description:

In Silly Ceremonies, The Kipper Kids offered an hour of brutal comedic force. Donning jockstraps and exaggerated nose and chin prosthetics, Martin von Haselberg and Brian Routh presented a “ritual” of tandem acts that unfolded on a black tarp in the Grand Luxe Hall. Their performance involved slapstick antics, musical numbers, wrestling, flatulence, a tea ceremony, and other absurd improvised actions using found objects. After dousing themselves in day-glo paint, canned beans, and shaving cream, The Kipper Kids brought Silly Ceremonies to close with a pyrotechnic gag.

Video documentation is available upon request.

A black-and-white portrait of Martin von Haselberg and Brian Routh. They are both shirtless, and are wearing shower caps and prosthetic noses and chins. Their faces are painted white with black dots to create the effect of stubble.

A black-and-white portrait of Martin von Haselberg and Brian Routh posing with their thumbs up. They are both shirtless, and are wearing shower caps and prosthetic noses and chins. Their faces are painted white with black dots to create the effect of stubble.

A black-and-white portrait of Martin von Haselberg and Brian Routh in the mirror of their dressing room. Bottles of beer, drinking glasses, scissors, and other objects dot the table where the mirror is positioned.

Brian Routh and Martin von Hasselberg crouch at two ends of a table. They wear shower caps, nose prosthetics, jock straps, and dress shoes.

Brian Routh and Martin von Hasselberg lean across a small table to touch noses. They wear shower caps, nose prosthetics, jock straps, and dress shoes.

Brian Routh and Martin von Hasselberg stand facing each other while bending over to touch the floor of the Grand Luxe Hall, which is covered in a tarp-like material.

Brian Routh and Martin von Hasselberg stand next to each other while securing swim caps to their heads. They wear goggles and jockstraps. A tarp hangs behind them.

Martin von Hasselberg and Brian Routh crouch on a white tarp in the Grand Luxe Hall. They wear swim caps, goggles, and jockstraps, and are streaked in various liquids. They each have a squirt of shaving cream on their heads.

Brian Routh plays ukulele and Martin von Hasselberg holds a clarinet. They stand at microphones and are dressed in swim caps and jockstraps. Tarp covers the floor and back wall of the Grand Luxe Hall.

Brian Routh and Martin von Hasselberg hold reflective surfaces up to their faces while standing next to each other in the Grand Luxe Hall. Music stands and microphones are arranged in front of them, and the floor and back wall are covered in tarps. The artists wear shower caps and jockstraps.

Brian Routh and Martin von Hasselberg make silly gestures towards each other. They wear shower caps and jockstraps, and the floor and back wall of the Grand Luxe Hall are covered in tarps.

Brian Routh and Martin von Hasselberg crouch on a white tarp in the Grand Luxe Hall. Von Haseslberg wears a swim cap, goggles, and a prosthetic nose. A balloon is attached to his ear. Cans of shaving cream and a suitcase of other materials are positioned on the floor as well.

Brian Routh and Martin von Hasselberg aggressively grab each other's heads. They stand facing each other as if sparring. They wear shower caps with a balloon attached to the side and jockstraps. Black tarp covers the back wall of the Grand Luxe Hall.

Related People

Brian Routh (Performer)
Martin von Haselberg (Performer)

Captions:

The Kipper Kids (1979).
The Kipper Kids (1979).
The Kipper Kids (1979).
The Kipper Kids (1979).
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.
The Kipper Kids, Silly Ceremonies, photo documentation, Oct 4, 1979.

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.