To hold the pain of injustice is a big job. Paul Couillard is near the end of his 24-hour performance, receiving our dilemmas, our regrets, our hurts. It is one of the most generous performances I have even engaged with, and one of the most physically and mentally demanding I have witnessed. It requires Paul's unflagging presence and open heart. I wept after I sensed he had ruled upon my "case". I was unburdened. Thanks, Paul.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Paul Couillard 2 - Wednesday July 23, 2008
To hold the pain of injustice is a big job. Paul Couillard is near the end of his 24-hour performance, receiving our dilemmas, our regrets, our hurts. It is one of the most generous performances I have even engaged with, and one of the most physically and mentally demanding I have witnessed. It requires Paul's unflagging presence and open heart. I wept after I sensed he had ruled upon my "case". I was unburdened. Thanks, Paul.
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2 comments:
Wow that's amazing. Naufus and I were wondering how Paul was going to communicate the verdict without speaking. Your description says it all. Thanks so much. And I hope he has a good night's sleep!
Irene
I arrived at Paul's performance/ interaction at 10:30 am midway through his 24 hour goal to ask him to pass a verdict on the cup of espresso and freshly squeezed orange juice that I brought him. I was curious how he would respond. I wanted him to use his sense of smell and taste to aid in his decision and therefore asked him to sample both items. It was apparent after 30 minutes that he was not going to make this easy for him or me.
At one point Karen came into the room- watching, listening, existing in the silence with me. Then, without warning, she began to respond to Paul's subtle, meditative actions/ inactions. I joined in and then after a while Karen left- kissing Paul goodbye on his cheek. An hour maybe two passed while we shared and explored ourselves in the space- at one point using a long piece of rolled out gauze to balance each others bodies- swaying back and forth on our heels- struggling to hang onto the material with our fingertips, trying to read each others movements. Trust. Respect. Compassion. True Justice. It was a magical performative experience that I will continue to hold inside my heart and body.
Lance
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