Black Soap
An interactive performance that uses soap to cover the body while simultaneously making it visible.
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Une performance interactive qui utilise du savon pour couvrir le corps tout en le rendant
visible.
“Black Soap” examines the erasure of self in relation to human interaction and the diminished sense of belonging that occurs as a result.
I explore and repeat the daily routine or cleansing ritual of washing the body with soap particularly that of “African Black Soap” which is used to purify problematic skin conditions and minimize lines, cracks, and scars on the surface of the skin. The potential healing properties of this soap is the underlying foundation of this project. Using African Black Soap as a reference, I will create handmade black soap using ingredients with anti-inflammatory, respiratory relief, and circulatory properties that aid in recovery and balance. The soap is composed from a clear glycerin base with remnants of charcoal dust, used-coffee grinds, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, roasted chicory, vanilla, honey, mango butter, and coarse sea salt mixed with dirt.
During the performance, the soap is displayed in stacks beside my feet with four transparent glass bowls sitting on top of each stack of soap. One bowl is filled with water, three with ice. Ice signifies time being stuck, and the paralyzing/immobile quality of ice’s cool/cold temperature causes a loss of sensation/function that creates a numbing imbalance throughout the body if exposed to harsh conditions for too long. Ice also acts as a conductor that activates the soap if warmed in the hands or entirely melted. Black soap becomes the marking tool of covering. Using the self as subject, standing upright, hair pre-soaked, in a nude body suit, I will cover my face and body with soap. Once the sequence of covering is complete, I will reach my hand forward and offer the viewer a chance to engage and be part of the performance by washing away, and removing the soap.