This performance was part of a parade in Rotterdam. In this work, I did a rendition of a work by Bruce Nauman, Good Boy Bad Boy, from 1985. The original is a video installation with two actors saying the same 100 phrases that all start with a conjugation of the verb ‘to be’. Both actors go through this sequence five times, beginning in a neutral tone and slowly increasing the intensity of saying these phrases until they appear very angry at the end.

For this performance I started together with the other members of the parade, with me standing at the very back. While the rest of the parade was walking forwards, I was walking backwards. Like in the original work, I repeated the 100 phrases five times, speaking them facing the other members that were gradually distancing themselves from me. From the moment I couldn’t see the rest of the group anymore, I started speaking through a megaphone. While saying the phrases, I was standing still. After saying each paragraph of four phrases each, I did one step backwards to say the next paragraph. This process was repeated until I completed the sequence of 5*25 paragraphs. So, in total I only did 125 steps backwards while the rest of the group was walking the route full circle.

Once I finished the rendition of my phrases, I was at a standstill, waiting for the rest of the parade who would approach me from behind this time. At the moment the rest of the group was there, I walked the last 125 steps forwards with them. Contrary to the beginning of the parade, I walked these last steps at the very front of the group now.

Before the start of this performance, I said yes to walk the parade in a costume made by another artist without knowing how this costume would look like. My only condition was that this costume would not interfere with my concept that I still had to develop. Looking back, this costume brought my performance more to the front, without both of us knowing what the other would do.

I was a good boy
You were a good boy
We were good boys
That was good

I was a good girl
You were a good girl
We were good girls
That was good

I was a bad boy
You were a bad boy
We were bad boys
That was bad

I was a bad girl
You were a bad girl
We were bad girls
That was bad

I am a virtuous man
You are a virtuous man
We are virtuous men
This is virtue

I am a virtuous woman
You are a virtuous woman
We are virtuous women
This is virtue

I am an evil man
You are an evil man
We are evil men
This is evil

I am an evil woman
You are an evil woman
We are evil women
This is evil

I’m alive
You’re alive
We’re alive
This is our life

I live the good life
You live the good life
We live the good life
This is the good life

I have work
You have work
We have work
This is work

I play
You play
We play
This is play

I’m having fun
You’re having fun
We’re having fun
This is fun

I’m bored
You’re bored
We’re bored
Life is boring

I’m boring
You’re boring
We’re boring
This is boring

I have sex
You have sex
We have sex
This is sex

I love
You love
We love
This is our love

I hate
You hate
We hate
This is hating

I like to eat
You like to eat
We like to eat
This is eating

I like to drink
You like to drink
We like to drink
This is drinking

I (like to) shit
You (like to) shit
We (like to) shit
This is shit(ting)

I piss
You piss
We piss
This is piss

I like to sleep
You like to sleep
We like to sleep
Sleep well

I pay
You pay
We pay
This is payment

I don’t want to die
You don’t want to die
We don’t want to die
This is fear of death.

The route of the parade drawn with pen, with the red arrows indicating my own route within

2019

Costume by Sachia Pereira-Stolle

Performance

Parade