Triple Castration Ritual: Welcome Tat-Not! was performed at 'The Visitation' installation at the 2010 Tatton Biennale. The full comic, which parallels the performance, can be found on the comics page.
Plastique Fantastique, for this performance, were David Burrows, Simon O'Sullivan, Ana Benlloch, Lawrence Leaman, Alex Marzeta, Joe Murray, Venessa Page and Stuart Tait.
1. First Moment: A First (Symbolic) Castration: Birth of the Cone-Head!
Speech:
The Platform has been PREE-PAR-RED!; thee chosen ASS-EM-BELLED!
And so to BEE-GIN the Triple Castration ! Firstly, SIM-BOL-LICK!
(All Shout: THEE SIM-BOL-LICK!)
At the visitation site, between the cubes and by the drawing, a body is bound
with a felt rope, a cone mask placed on the head (the body becomes a
pointy-headed-upright-cone-headed-thing).
2. Second Moment: the Parading in Pub-lik of the
pointy-headed-upright-cone-headed-thing.
Speech:
A SPEKK-TEE-KAL youz are! A Not-this-thing-Nor-that-thing!
A NO-THING! A NEWT-TRAL!!
(All Shout: Nothing!! Nil!! NEWT-TRAL!! etc, etc)
The pointy-headed-upright-cone-headed-thing is paraded around the
grounds (occasionally poked, made fun of, etc).
3. Third Moment: Preparation for the (Second) Castration of the
pointy-headed-upright-cone-headed-thing.
Speech:
We cum nowly to our very SE-SPE-SEP-SIF-FICK task.our very WANTON duty.
THE CASTRATION!! Prepare the NEWT-TRAL!
After returning to the visitation site a Black bell is rung to mark the time of the
Castration. Dust is applied to the mouth and eyes of the
pointy-headed-upright-cone-headed-thing.
4. Fourth Moment: The Second Castration: Inverting the
pointy-headed-upright-cone-headed-thing.
Speech:
And now, and Y-NOT?! The IN-FERN-AL IN-VER-SHUNN!!
The pointy-headed-upright-cone-headed-thing is hung upside down
from a tree. The pointy-headed-upside-down-cone-headed-thing is
beaten three times (like a carpet).
Speech:
An IN-VER-SHUNN and a REEEEE-VERSAL! You WOT-WAS
up-right-AND-UP-TITE is now NOT-RITE! TAT-NOT!!
5. Fifth Moment: the Stumbling and Falling.
Speech:
TAT-NOT, TAT-NOT, TAT-NOT, TAT-NOT!! At last,
a THIRD and FINAL CASTRATION and a BLINDING!
A FALL AND A STUM-BALL!
The pointy-headed-upside-down-cone-headed-thing is
unwound until blind or sick and collapsed.
6. Sixth Moment: the Virus
Speech:
You REE-TURN (AND TURN AND TURN) from that from
THAT-WOT you were BORN TAT-NOT! A virus YOU ARE,
a Castration Virus drawn in your OWN blood!
The image of the Castration Virus is drawn where the castrated
pointy-headed-upside-down-cone-headed-thing falls. Dust is
sprinkled over the body. The body is lifted to reveal the
shadow-image of the Castration Virus.
The Ritual ends.
