INSOMNIA

In this performance, self becomes objectified through the use of voice art. A subjective experience goes through stages of expression as thoughts become vocalised and then recorded as a token for the direct communication that would never take place in real life. The body gains a semiotic quality through carrying a potent message of distress. When a person starts panicking about not sleeping, everything is magnified and there's often a kind of terror that becomes a waking nightmare. Most people are unfamiliar with the state where layers of anguish and a distorted sense of reality kick in, as a natural ability can no longer be taken for granted and the attempts to control nature are bound to fail. This realisation is terrifying, and can have extreme consequences on body and mind. This work explores the boundaries between natural and unnatural, abandonment and control, as well as sanity and insanity. Insomnia is sometimes part of serious health conditions, or one all on its own. The repercussions can be terrible. "Managing an illness that's happening when you're not looking is like walking a tightrope" (From the description of "The Impossibility of Sleeplessness and Damien Hirst doesn't Exactly Make it Better"). It's a problem that is hard to cure since sleep happens when we're not in control. Please refer to the artist's website for more information: http://www.vivimaricarpelan.com. There are also blog articles on the artist's actual experience of insomnia here http://chronicillnesshealthissues.blogspot.co.uk