Legends of the Evergreen Forest

Description:

The title of this forty-minute performance was taken from the book, The Legends of the Evergreen Coast published in 1934 by a local press.

The piece opened with a video projection of Vancouver's natural landscapes accompanied with a pulsing ethereal electronic soundtrack and spoken text voiceover in the darkened Grand Luxe Hall. 

As the room fell silent and the lights brightened, Stitt is seen cutting open a mattress suspended vertically from the ceiling. He sliced through the padding and metal coils to create an opening to wriggle through, injuring himself on the coils in the process.

Stitt bandaged himself with gauze and poured talcum powder, covering himself and the stage. His actions intensified as he erratically performed harsh acts of covering himself in oil and powder, and forcing himself through the mattress. The performance concluded with a rabbit figurine appearing on a plinth. Stitt placed a photograph, a copy of The Legends of the Evergreen Coast, and a necklace around the rabbit.

Co-produced with grunt gallery and Open Space. 

Video documentation available upon request.