Tate Britain, London
4th Jan 2008
18.00-22.00
‘The Chymical Wedding’ was a parade and ritual performed at Tate Britain, and included the showing of two films of previous Plastique Fantastique performances (‘What is a pre-industrial modern?’ (in gallery 9) and ‘24 hour puja for the people-yet-to come’ (in the South Gallery)).
The Chymical Wedding’ draws upon the custom of ‘mumming’. Traditionally, ‘mummers’ would wander the country, drunk and in masks, and gatecrash New Year festivities to perform a play. ‘The Chymical Wedding’ also draws upon the examples of Sascha Masoch and John Dee to enact a bodily transformation and a communion with angels through physical stimulation and ritual performance. The ritual summoned forth the ‘Third Thing’.
For further reflections on the wedding see
An account, the Contracts and Further Reflections.
First Protocol (procession): At fifteen past seven by mur-mur-dead-thing’s time, we, the avatars of plastique fantastique, (the mummers from a distant planet), will assemble in Parliament Square for a procession along the banks of the Thames to Tate Britain. We spit on and rage against all who sell and propagate the so-called ‘sexual-relation’, (there is no ‘sexual-relation’).
Second Protocol (announcement): At forty five past seven by mur-mur-dead-thing’s time, we, (an alliance of redundant-commodity-forms and residual-sacred-forms), reach the steps of Tate Britain where the announcement of the ‘Chymical Wedding’ will be made. Plastique fantastique avatars enter Tate Britain singing the ‘Chymical Wedding’ hymn led by the bride, avatar subkast-kofke, and accompanied by the brides-maid, avatars sijk MUJIk and fujik MUJIk.
Third Protocol (contract): At fifty five past seven by mur-mur-dead-thing’s time, we, (the communion of dead and eternal time), assemble in the South Gallery. The avatar fox-owl de-masks the bride and calls forth the third thing (which is also the first thing) by asking each avatar, in turn, for a part of the third thing for the bride to wear. The bride is dressed as the third thing, the contract is made, and all cry, “Welcome third thing”, to summon forth, through projected image, an angel who will impart knowledge of the third thing.
Forth Protocol (consummation): At ten past eight by mur-mur-dead-thing’s time, we, (the end of the line and the circle of time), will lead the avatar third thing to gallery nine where the avatar third thing will be whipped until the body is a swarm, (a body without a chain of command). The avatar third thing cries out, “Mercy, third thing, mercy”, summoning forth, through projected image, an angel who will impart knowledge of ‘The Chymical Wedding’.
For ‘The Cymical Wedding’, plastique fantastique avatars were:
(the sacred eternal forms)
Fox-owl/Simon O’Sullivan
Black-hare/Aryapala
Ribbon-head/Samudadraka
Borromean-knothead/Vanessa Page
Acephale/Daniel Wolfsson
(the redundant commodity forms)
Subkast-kofke/David Burrows
Amoebadesign/Robyn Payne
Refuseyworky/Asher Snaith
Mur-mur-dead-thing/Liam Scully
Sijk MUJIk/Alex Marzeta
Fujik MUJIk/Cherry McCloughlin
