Caroline Smith and Escalator East to Edinburgh Present BIRDWATCHERS WIVES, 2 - 24 August
The latest alter-ego of performance artist Caroline Smith was researched with British birdwatchers - and now Rita, a show bird from a bygone era, is hellbent on turning the archetype of the twitcher on its head. Dressed in elaborate Great Crested Grebe plumage, Smith questions what happens when a bird runs the show and the label of "human" no longer applies.
Expect the comical and surreal, for not everything is what it seems... Continuing Smith's themes of uprooting the everyday in order to uncover and examine the strange, true and unseen. Discover the real life community of avian therians who believe they have bird parts / phantom wings!
Join the early bird as Birdwatchers' Wives explores the thin line between fantasy and reality. With dramaturgy from artist/performer Mem Morrison and the costumes of David Curtis Ring (creator of Bryony Kimmings' fabulous designs), Smith creates an uneasy world where being seen is as important as seeing. We have wonderful images of the statuesque Rita in her fine (non real feather!) plumage.
Great Crested Grebes were the reason the RSPB was founded in the late 19th century - to protest at and stop the use of Grebe feathers in women's hats (some women would wear whole stuffed birds on top of their heads). Many birds are under real threat as our relationship with nature and wildlife becomes increasingly detached and alienated - 1200 species are predicted to become extinct in the next century as humans destroy their of habitat. Considerably more will die from "murderous millinery" - those hunted /reared for their feathers. Tabloid darling Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge, is frequently photographed at public engagements wearing feathered hats. Were she to wear an item of fur there would be public outcry and very different media headlines.
Caroline Smith's comical and often sinister works reveal the unfamiliar in the everyday and the commonplace in the strange. She plays with alter egos and often works within broad and specialist communities to engage desires, drives and the dark (as well as the lighter) sides. Her new talk show "Louche Women," with poet / comic Liz Bentley, shines a spotlight on life's sordid underbelly in the form of daytime TV, William-Burroughs-style.
Birdwatchers Wives has been selected for Escalator East To Edinburgh. Each year Escalator East to Edinburgh helps artists and arts organisations to raise their profile and perform to new audiences as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Venue: Summerhall Venue 26
Tickets: £12, £10
Dates: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 Aug
Venue Box Office: 0845 874 3001
Time: 12.30 (60 mins)
Online: www.summerhall.co.uk
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