QUALIS ARTIFEX PEREO - FINIS read performance script...
A square shaped or rectangular room. Martin Bladh’s video work Injury (21 min, in three parts) is projected on one of the walls. The film has got a very insistent stroboscopic effect which heightens the intensity of the performance. The only sound audible during the performance is the monotonous, androgynous voice of the film protagonist. The film is played two times during the performance (the actor’s actions follow the timeline of the film monolog). Martin sits naked (except from a suspensor with dried blood stains) on a director’s chair in front of the wall, his arms and legs are tied together behind his back. Martin’s skin has been powdered with talcum powder (pure-victim-Apollo). His gaze is fixed on the floor. Shame. Bo lies naked (cross formation) on the floor in front of the chair. He wears a black hood that covers his head and face. Bo’s skin is covered with mud and soot (Dionysius). At his feet lie a white rag with dried blood stains, a pig heart wrapped up in bandage, a waist belt, a bottle of body oil and a small metal tray containing matches and cigarettes. On the right and left side of him stands a kidney shaped metal bowl (bowl 1 and 2) filled with human hair. On the floor above Bo’s head (between Martin and Bo) stands a third kidney shaped metal bowl (bowl 3) which also contains human hair. Mikael is naked except from a leather belt with a bayonet attached to it and blue plastic gloves on his hands. His skin has been powdered with talcum powder (pure-executioner-Apollo). Mikael faces the room’s left wall, hands on his back. Johan is naked. His skin is covered with mud and soot (Dionysius). Johan faces the room’s right wall (opposite to Mikael), hands on his back. Bo starts to masturbate after approx 10 min, lying position, lubricates himself with the body oil – focus: cock and anus. Johan starts to masturbate, lights a cigarette and watches Bo. Mikael lights the hair in bowl 1. Bo rises from the floor after approx 21 min (the film is now playing for the second time). Mikael pulls the hood off his head, walks over to Martin and pulls the hood down over his head instead. Martin bares his throat (victim/executioner identification). Mikael lights the hair in bowl 2, and then situates himself at his point of departure (facing the left wall). Johan and Bo caress and kiss each other, jerk each other off, suck each others cocks. Johan stubs the ashes of his cigarette on Bo. Johan walks over to the chair and puts out the burning cigarette on Martin’s chest, comes back to Bo and acts more sexually aggressive than before. Mikael lights the hair in bowl 3. Johan’s and Bo’s sexual activities get even more violent. Sadistic game. They whip each other with the belt. Bo walks over to Martin and gives him five severe lashes with the belt. Bo throws the belt unto the floor. Johan’s and Bo’s sadistic game escalates, they wrestle (Bacon/Muybridge association), lubricate each other with oil. Johan fucks Bo. They both ejaculate. Mikael walks over to Martin and makes a deep incision into his right side with a razorblade. Mikael cuts up Martin’s suspensor, tears it to pieces and throws it unto the floor, puts his mouth to the wound and sucks the blood into his mouth and spits it out on his cock. Mikael rises to his feet, cuts up the ropes that ties Martin to the chair. Bo and Johan are lying on the floor, exhausted. Martin remains in the chair – throat bared. Mikael unwraps the heart; holds it in his right hand, pulls out the bayonet. Cross formation – Acéphale. Bo and Johan remains on the floor, entangled in each others arms. The heart is burning.
