“collaboration #08” is part of an ongoing series of actions/performances. It begins with two artists standing on the corners of a white rectangle, diagonally opposite of each other. The rectangle is placed in the middle of four concrete pillars in a large empty room inside a former chocolate factory. The room is large and has large windows with white semi-transparent shades on two sides. There are two white clocks with only the numbers three and nine marked on two opposite sides of the rectangle.

Each of the two artists are standing in a small pile of black coal and have a single white thread coming through her/his shirt. The threads originate from spools mounted on the concrete pillars behind each of them. They begin pulling the thread through themselves and it falls to their feet. Without lifting their feet, they slowly move towards the center. The combined actions leave coal and thread traces on the floor, marking their pathways to the center. The sounds of the spools, clocks, feet and distant traffic create a subtle soundscape.

Repeating this action, they gradually move toward each other over the course of three hours, until they are in very close proximity in the center. They stop, break the thread, rotate 45 degrees and thread a black thread (which originates from spools on the other two pillars) through their shirts. This action is repeated, at varying tempos, for three hours. At the six hour mark, the two artists break the black thread, walk backwards to a corner of the rectangle and exit. Left behind is a pile of black thread in the center connecting the coal traces and the white thread piles.

“collaboration” is an ongoing series of performances that address the physical relationship between two artists while also exploring the correlation between and potentials of: proximity—distance, transformation—alteration, tempo—stillness, duration—ephemerality and duality—unison.

Using limited materials, each performance focuses on simultaneous actions and the point where these actions phase, oscillate and/or conjoin. These actions are repetitive, consistent, clear, precise, thorough and definite. Without narrative, they leave the audience time to assess the actions and interpret or propose her/his own meaning, content and thoughts.