Storm Drops, 2019
taste of a storm,
scent of a storm
Curiosity and conversation drive my practice; I want the audience to explore a scenario that brings the familiar into the realm of the magical.
Storm Drops fig plays with the familiarity of spaces; the expectations and cues of a theatre, specifically DNR as part of HUBS Festival. My role of usherette welcomes the audience into the realm of familiarity to gain just enough trust in order to play with expectation: instead of ice cream (as is customary during an interval) the audience receive the taste of a storm, amplified by a scent. The electricity of lightning, earthiness of damp soil, the coolness of air and sizzle of a lingering fire come together in the body of the audience.
‘Storm Drops’ came about after several audience members from ‘Notes’ showed an interest in tasting the records – licking the storm. It is something we are all familiar with, however we don’t experience it through taste: we see, we hear, we smell and we feel but we don’t taste it. I decided to combine it with a scent to claim the space of the performance as well as the space in terms of the audience’s body; also exploring ideas of retro-nasal tasting, smell being a huge part (up to 80%) of taste.
