“Swimming in Air While Rooted in Water” is a durational performance. In tandem with over 2,000 pounds of gathered rocks, eight naked women manipulated and created slow-moving sculpture and sound distortion over the course of nine hours.

The first of these performances took place in a gallery with large, street-facing windows, allowing passing people to watch from outside or venture into the space itself. Both the rocks and performers committed to a score that pushed the endurance of the two materials, while also allowing a slow enough pace so that the audience could witness the subtle traces of change that occurred physically and emotionally within the performers. Rocks and performers filled the gallery space to the point where it created an unavoidable acknowledgment of the raw, exposing, and intimate imagery being constructed by the women. The tedious and physically tiring gathering and returning of the rocks to the beach from where they came also became a secondary durational component of the performance.

Rooted in uncovering the subconscious experiences of the feminine journey through endurance-based tasks, while weaving together the experience of both the raw body and rock forms, the women investigated the intrinsic, circular, and relentless nature of a life cycle. The performance cultivated a physical and emotional challenge within the women to face their vulnerability and strength in exploring, exposing, and submitting to their multi-dimensional female psyche. This challenge and exploration ended up being true for both performers and audience members invited to participate and stand witness.