CIRCA 111 article

Sinéad O’Donnell

Twelve-hours durational action - FIX 04 - Belfast

Sinéad O’Donnell: Score for CIRCA, post-performance score / map, after Gravity, 2005; courtesy the artist

The action, one action, the final action, I aimlessly wandered around the streets of Belfast, looking, searching, waiting for the last minute, turning corners, watching the boys in the street. The boys in the street were playing football with a piece of rectangular cardboard. Hardcore Belfast boys. I approached them, haggled with them, “Away and fuck Mrs‚” they said. Eventually getting the cardboard sign off them that said “Breadwinner,” put my head to rest, I had my final action. www.catalystarts.org

Gravity - in memory of Morgan Sheehy - Trace‚ Installaction Space, Cardiff, 2005

Sinéad O’Donnell: Art cunt; the breadwinner, during FIX 04; courtesy Catalyst Arts

22 minutes, collaboratively, he, Hugh that is, shushed, and she, Sinéad, me that is, sang the apple song, my father’s song, together, she the female, he the male, orthodox relationships, the brother the sister, art cunts, traces, screams, audience lined around a room, actionism, wasn’t rehearsed, it wouldn’t be real if it was rehearsed, set of potential actions, room to move, white knickers, black dress, cock, gee, gravity, why gravity, she the female, he the male, brother and sister collaboratively. www.tracegallery.org

Twenty-four-hour durational site-specific action- Dartington College of Arts, Devon, 2003

Six-hour actions deciding to develop what the next six hours would investigate, duration, labour, waiting, wanting, remembering, Romania, containers, materials, motionless, physiological torment, mass trauma, personal trauma, red plastic bags, interventions, actions, access, outside, restrictions, no way out of the duration, waiting, trapped, blocks, towers, dusty beds, a price to pay for a privileged life.

www.dartington.ac.uk

Sinéad O’Donnell is a performance artist based in Queens Street Studios, Belfast; she works real-time , photoactions and interventions.

Article reproduced from CIRCA 111, Spring 2005, pp.60–61

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