Philip Lee

Coffin Slip on 5 April 2014
"In the pool of clay created by Slip Deluge, I scooped out a gap in the solidifying, viscous mass of clay, just big enough for me to lie in. Once the coffin shaped hole was made, I lay in it and spoke my feelings and thoughts, which were recorded by the video camera and an independent microphone. Drew Ippoliti came into the space to photograph me from time to time but there was no audience for this performance. Throughout the performance, I was considering the affect of the clay on my flesh and mind with reference to the implications of death.

"I have become aware of the corporeality of clay and how it 'performs' in a live body performance. What is new to me is the subtlety of the changes that the clay slip goes through as it flows onto my body and then settles around my body: paradoxically the huge volumes of clay slip have revealed the small, subtle changes in the clay - thickening and becoming sticky next to my flesh, subtle responses to movements - slower movements mean the clay stays thicker; there is an interaction between my body and the clay slip, a variation on the processes of autopoiesis."

Coffin Slip (2014) Philip Lee's spoken words during the performance