How much can a person contain? Working in a laboratory, between glass tubes, vials and refrigerators, organising blood. While pandemics spread and wars are fought. With a sense of approaching disaster, strange reflections, desires, and visions begin to leak into the regulated repetitive routines…
With Blood Thirsty, Ira Melkonyan and Jimmy Grima continue their research into the performativity of liquids, venturing into perhaps the most symbolic bodily fluid. The artwork is based on personal archive and Ira’s diary entires written during the first year of russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine. Re-imagining blood and other biological substances, the performance explores a feminist mysticism of leaking bodies, political borders and a sense of connection.
GENRE: PERFORMANCE
DURATION: 30 MINUTES (WORK-IN-PROGRESS)
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
Written and performed by Ira Melkonyan
Visual dramaturg & technical design by Jimmy Grima @TinyIsland Studio
Performance dramaturgy by Maria Rößler
Artistic collaboration with Biljana Radinoska
Sound design by Isadora Tomasi
Song in Ukrainian by Marichka Shtyrbulova
Thanks to Ira Brand, Isobel Dryburgh, Polina Eremenko, and Justin Schembri.
Production of the rubberbodies collective.
Co-produced by SPRING Festival (Utrecht, the Netherlands).
Residency support by wpZimmer (Antwerp, Belgium), VEEM House for Performance (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), BAU Dance and Performance GREENHOUSE (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Hellerau European Centre for the Arts (Dresden, Germany), Rampe Theatre (Stuttgart, Germany), Akademie Schloss Solitude (Stuttgart, Germany), Kinosaki Arts Centre (Kinosaki, Japan)—trip to Japan supported by the Arts Council Malta.
Photo credits: Daan Jeurens, Reinout Bos, bozzo.
Presentations
Sep 25 Rampe Theatre with Akademie Schloss Solitude (Stuttgart, DE).
Dec 24 Hellerau European Centre for the Arts (Dresden, DE)
Nov CurieuCity Festival (Brussels, BE) Oct Kinosaki Arts Centre (Kinosaki, JP) Sep BAU Dance and Performance (Amsterdam, NL) Jul If I can’t dance (Amsterdam, NL, online) May SPRING Festival (Utrecht, NL) May VEEM House for Performance (Amsterdam, NL) Sep 23 Het Huis (Utrecht, NL) Dec 22 wpZimmer (Antwerp, BE)
Video links
Please get in touch with Ira at ira@rubber-bodies.com for video materials.
