Talk by Martin O'brien - anatomy of a bite

Martin O'Brien - Anatomy of a Bite 

Thu 12 Mar

Martin O'Brien's work considers existence with a severe chronic illness within our contemporary situation. O'Brien suffers from cystic fibrosis and his practice uses physical endurance, disgust, long durations and pain based practices to address a politics of the sick queer body and examine what it means to be born with a life threatening disease, politically and philosophically. His work is an act of resistance to illness, an attempt at claiming agency and a celebration of his body. O'Brien loves his body and his work is a form of sufferance in order to survive. 

In Anatomy of a Bite, commissioned especially for Disrupted, O'Brien takes the image of the corpse in the anatomy theatre as his starting point. This performance for one audience member at a time develops this image to explore the human orifice of the mouth. The mouth is used for breathing, eating, drinking, screaming, f**king, licking, talking, vomiting, coughing, yawning, blowing. It is a site of tenderness and of potential contamination. It is the home of teeth and of the tongue. Anatomy of a Bite explores the mouth as the human orifice that allows things to enter into and be expelled from the body. O'Brien invites you to explore his sick, coughing, open mouth and the possibilities of your own. The performance lasts approximately 10 minutes and appointments are available to ensure your place.

http://macbirmingham.co.uk/event/martin-obrien---anatomy-of-a-bite/?dm_t=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0