project image
Elizabeth Gerdeman and Micha Hahn
MELTING BORDERS

first performed on July 20, 2017
in the street, Yerevan, Armenia
performed twice in 2017

RICCARDO MATLAKAS

London, UK
matlakasart@gmail.com
matlakas.co.uk

MELTING BORDERS
RICCARDO MATLAKAS

“Melting Borders” is a live performance which is shown as a durational piece or a walking street action.

In “Melting Borders” I created a head-structure which holds five ice creams.

Each ice cream is colored with natural flavorings, which is determined by the color of the country I perform in. The intention with “Melting Borders” is to melt the political symbols and nationalistic components of countries and rather let the beauty of culture shine. The point of “Melting Borders” is to melt, with the witty presence of an ice cream, every border, to let us discover the essence of culture, the sweetness of it.

What remains on my white shirt are the colors of the flag, and the shirt itself becomes like a painting, witnessing the melting process of the flag in question.

So far I’ve created an Armenian shirt/flag and a British shirt/flag. In 2017 I was invited to Miami to perform this work and melt the American borders, but my entry was rejected due to my visit to Iran in the same year. I was detained for 24 hours and sent back to the UK.

I have chosen to use ice cream for various reasons. It is internationally known in so-called “developed societies.” It is also internationally renowned and loved by so many people (although I don’t consider it edible). Due to its popularity, it can potentially become an advocate and connector of global cultures.