Morning Toilette, at Tate Modern, London (2001)
Morning Toilette, Elena Cologni, 2001 (Video Live Installation, sills from installation view , left, from pre-recorded video, right),Tate Modern, London
Morning Toilette, Elena Cologni, 2002 (5 monitor video installation), Lethaby Gallery, London
Morning Toilette was first presented in a format that I defined as Video Live Installation, at Tate Modern, in the context of a ‘Fine Art Research Network’ (FARN) event: ‘Experience of Space’ on 19th March 2001.
From my PhD thesis:
In this work, the action of washing the face applying make-up, a ritual in a woman’s daily routine. I documented the action on five mornings and, although I have not timed myself, the shots are similar in length, between 12 and 14 minutes. I then started to look at the recordings and noticed the little differences in the same pattern of the acts constituting my quotidian morning toilette. The first set of acts a rewashing the face, applying tonic lotion and moisturising cream, brushing teeth; the second set of acts are applying make-up on the skin and the mouth. Focusing on such ordinary actions repeated everyday in front of the mirror – here replaced by the camera- made me consider the relationship between myself and the image of myself that I see mirrored while applying the mask and also what to repete an action means.
…
Performance to me is a symbolic and cathartic action which can be read at different levels, but the result of which depends on its genuinety…
The repetition of a performance so far has always been a different experience for me who was interacting with a different environment or audience, but while performing I was also detaching myself from the environment and getting in touch with my inner side. As a consequence, the performance worked to me because I felt that it had an effect on myself and therefore the audience […]’
Cologni, E (PhD thesis, 2004) The artist’s performative practice within the anti-ocularcentric discourse
University of the Arts London
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