VAL, THE INVISIBLE
When wished for, it’s a superpower. When not, it’s debilitating. Somewhere in between is Val, the Invisible. Val may not be a comic book hero but her purpose is similar: to challenge the standard narratives of our days, to puncture the humdrum.
In a project devised by Julie-Anne Long, and first staged at the Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2009, as well as CarriageWorks as part of the Liveworks festival 2010, this incarnation will find Val engaging in acts of micro-performance in and around the MCA for the Local Positioning Systems suite of works.
Long has stated that the project’s starting point was her, “experience and interest in the invisibility of middle aged women.” The irony is that Val, in her neon-hued garb, is very hard to miss. Through some experimentations and participant-led interventions, invisibility began to take on a different hue. “The overexposure in the media and the focus on loss of sexual power irritated me, and my focus shifted to uncovering the subversive things you can do when you’re invisible.”
A durational performance of ambiguous delivery, Val will be moving around and doing those small, ritualistic things you can only do when you think you’re not watched. Catch her if you can.
Apr 7-23, various times, in and around the Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St, The Rocks, performancespace.com.au
