“Airing Out The Laundry” is the most current of my restricted movement studies. “Airing Out The Laundry,” performed to Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” features a costume designed to be worn by all six performers. Each performer is wearing one article of clothing (a top or bottom), which is engineered to move up and down the performer’s torso. Each performer’s article of clothing is sewn to the side of his or her neighbor’s piece of clothing, which results in a costume that resembles clothes hanging on a clothesline. Thus, one performer can only successfully cover himself/herself if his/her neighbor is exposed (this piece was performed in underwear).

The movement in this piece was limited and informed by the costume’s restrictions. The movement was also influenced by the relationships between the performers in the costume, which ranged from antagonistic to empathetic. This piece explored the notion that covering one thing (philosophy, characteristic, action, lie) necessarily exposes another. Is it possible to write a manifesto that closes and doesn’t open discussion? This work also points to the notion that revelations must occur within tight-knit communities. “Airing Out the Laundry” existed between two vernaculars: slapstick absurdity and caustic poignancy.