I went to Colchester for a few days last week to present some work at Full Bleed, two nights of music, and art timed to coincide with Franko B's one-week-long winter school at Colchester Arts Centre.



Seperated at Birth? Director Anthony Roberts and Franko B


As someone who has been exposed to dangerously high doses of live-art over the past month, I'd assumed that little could surprise me, but I saw two performances at Colchester that did just that.

First was Hugh O' Donnell from Belfast, who swore loudly into a bucket of water before dropping his trousers to reveal a blue painted arse. He climbed onto a table full of cheese sandwiches, and said "this is for the working class". He then proceeded to insert the cheese sandwiches into his anus. I counted sixteen, although I may have missed a few because many people in front of me were literally jumping out of their seats in bewilderment.

(Most of the crowd had only come for the music, and obviously had no means of interpreting such unexpected imagery.)

Next up was Justice Yeldham from Australia who was making music by screaming onto a large piece of broken glass fitted with highly sensitive contact microphones (a set-up he later told me was called 'The Dynamic Ribbon Device').

The white noise generated was accompanied by screams from the audience as he bit into the window and spat blood and glass from the stage. He ended by smashing his head through the window, and I had an excellent view of this because by this point many members of the audience had left.

It was refreshing to see such visceral work being presented to a crowd of live-art novices.

I can't help but feel that neither piece would be allowed at the National Review of Live Art if it remains at the Tramway.

Which is reason in itself for going back to the Arches.