Asking all these questions about the abuse and violent death of my mother keep me hitting my head over and over. There was a time when most communication was done by drumming so I decided to use drumming to figure out things about responsibility. #1 is a drumsolo where people are invited to throw blood. The blood ends up on my drums, I hit the drums, the blood will splash back on me through my own actions until I stop.
Hit me baby one more time #1 is part of Hit Me Baby, a series of performances about violence, guilt, play and complicity. I keep putting myself in situations where harm can happen. Drums tied to my body. Blood on my sticks. Confetti instead of wounds. Sometimes the audience helps carry the load. Sometimes they use the whip. It’s never clear who’s responsible. Maybe that’s the point. I want to see how far it can go. And if it changes anything at all.
