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who knows why prawns go barefoot
2019
De Pimlico Project, London
by Hattie Godfrey
performers: Rosa Brentnall and Hannah Taverner
Who Knows Why Prawns Go Barefoot? is a 2-hour long performance and installation that was presented on 9th March 2019 at De Pimlico Project as part of a nomadic curational project entitled a place that fosters us.
The performance took place on the top floor of an uninhabited aristocratic Georgian house. Encompassing three rooms rumoured to have served at some point as a brothel, and at another point, as a student dormitory, Who Knows Why Prawns Go Barefoot? features three female performers wearing beige 'shape-wear' and sensibly heeled patent shoes. They occupy three rooms that are decorated with faded floral curtains and carpets coated with cat hair. They attempt and fail to catch giant slippery eels. They go to the window. They attempt and fail to eat a boiled egg, choking and spluttering as they're faced with their own reflection. They go to the window. They hang themselves up to dry, surrounded by lilies. A face appears at the window.
Touching upon narratives of gender, class and the domestic, what is at the heart of this work is an exploration of the facade of the functional family.
A piece of writing entitled Let Geese be Geese was presented as part of the performance. To access this piece of writing please contact Hattie directly at godfreyhattie@gmail.com.
More details can be found at artrabbit and facebook.
Photography by Tommy Brunt






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