The Alchemist - Performance


photos by Mido Lee Productions
  
The Alchemist

San Francisco, CA, 2018
Savannah, GA, 2013

The Alchemist is the metaphysical process of transforming a base metal into gold.  In this performance, it is a transformation in consciousness that occurs.  The artist is weighed down by life, dragged down, until she is forced to sit with her Self and until she is ready to make the choice to individuate.  The piece is a visual metaphor of a magnum opus. 

The purpose of the length of the piece (15 minutes live, edited for the video) was to create discomfort in the audience.  The audience feedback has been that as they are watching, they experience a feeling of depression that nothing is changing.  They want to leave and stop watching the performance.  As in life, when one is going through a deep inner change, it is slow, and one wants to give up.  The piece convey that it is worth it to keep going, the transformation does occur, and one can find the gold at the end of the rainbow.  This piece is inspired by my research into the Medieval science of Alchemy.
performance art
performance art
photos by Amruta Patil