I performed “I Just Work Here: Business As Usual” at Rapid Pulse 15. At 9:00 a.m. on a Friday I walked into a grassy area on the side of Interstate-94 near downtown Chicago carrying a purse and wearing a black pencil skirt, white blouse, blazer, red heels, and make-up. I knelt, removed one of my red high heels and began digging a hole with it. When the hole was big enough, I put my head in it and maintained the position until lunchtime. Coffee breaks were taken every few hours. At noon I calmly took my head out of the hole, brushed myself off, and left the site. I returned at 1:00 and put my head back in the hole for the rest of the afternoon, taking coffee breaks as needed. Around 4:30 I began filling in the hole and when it was full, I left the area, ending my work day a bit early as it was a Friday.

This piece is part of my “I Just Work Here” series. The series is about gendered power dynamics and the sexualization of female identified bodies in the white collar work world. It raises questions about productivity and the purpose of work.