Sitting, Facing
2019
10 hours; Cahuilla and Serrano lands, So-called Joshua Tree National Park
Performance; 16mm
Facing north-northwest, I sat on the desert floor from dawn until dusk, not once rising to eat, drink, or relieve myself while my collaborator, Gilles O’Kane, filmed me intermittently throughout the day. As limbs became numb and fell out of sensation, I dragged them to new formation. Before me sat a jar of water, within reach but untouched until after the sun set. Then I lay back upon the earth, and I swore the cold could swallow me like death. Night came heavy upon us and we rose to walk west, following the newest crescent moon toward the horizon, which flashed white, then black, then white, then black.
Performance, performance score: Serena Caffrey
Director of photography: Gilles O’Kane
Musical score: Antonin Fajt