What was your first encounter with the performing arts?

It seems like the answer to that might be the performance I did when I was 8 years old for the Saint Lucian Association Christmas party. I made up a “routine” in my basement and then performed my “routine” at the party. Song: ‘Flesh for Fantasy’ by Billy Idol. I have a photo in one of my old photo albums which allows me to remember this whole thing kinda vividly, although we all know the memory is a giant hall of smoke and mirrors. Anyway, I think I was wearing a pink leotard and white pantyhose that had pink hearts on them. Maybe i was lucky enough to have gotten to wear my hair in one ponytail braid? And I think there was some kinda slouchy pink cotton sweatshirt involved. I also remember a big red plastic cooler beverage dispenser in the background of that photo on a table with a table cloth on it. Hahahahahhahaa…as per usual, it’s all the stuff around the thing that I remember more than the thing. But the stuff is so important. It’s what makes the thing stick.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Okay oh my God, my mom can never see this interview – she’d pass the fuck out. Yeah, honestly – I wanted to be a prostitute. Sex worker was not a term I was familiar with when I was a kid. It was like time when Pretty Woman just came out. But also I was a pretty sexual kid? I’m a scorpio. Why am I saying this out loud – lord help me! Anyway, I was just like “why doesn’t EVERYONE do this job?” It was baffling to me. Mkay, but also I wanted to be a dancer too. But obviously I was pretty sure I wouldn’t do either of these jobs, It was pretty clear I’d angle myself towards some kind of office profession type of job.

When did you know that you wanted to work in the performing arts?

I knew when I turned 35. I studied contemporary dance in my twenties because I had been raving since my early twenties and I bumped into art when I was desperate to find a way to just like dance more often during the week. All I knew was that life made way more sense when I was dancing. So yes, it wasn’t until later, after studying and then continuing to make little works for ten years that I was like “um…actually, I think I really wanna like DO THIS do this…”

“Okay oh my God, my mom can never see this interview – she’d pass the fuck out. Yeah, honestly – I wanted to be a prostitute.”

Which performance has kept you awake recently?

Well. Every fucking wildly destructive and repulsive move that our power-frenzied “world leaders” have pulled.

Which performance is unforgettable? 

Rehab training by Geumhyung Jeong. I was completely riveted and silently sobbing in the last hour or something like that. UGH…I LOVE crying. 

What is your favorite place to be?

Sauna. Hot tubs. My bed. Also anywhere where no one is looking for me. 

Where would you like to show your work?

Probably somewhere with many much older people and many much younger people all congregated at once. In a context that was not rushed and probably very cozy and rancho relaxo for all. 

Who taught you the most in your life? 

For sure my sister. She’s been holding my hand since I was born, showing me ropes, loving me and getting excited for me. She taught me how to love and how to strive and about how to be an absolute goddamn clown.

How does your workplace or atelier look like?

I call it the peach garage. It’s a room in my apartment, my tinkle trunk of materials. And papers lots of papers of course, ugh.  But it’s pretty new. I’ve been wanting to make this happen for a long time and I’m still getting used to it. Anyway, It’s less an atelier than it is a gigantic briefcase.

What do you to relax?

I really really really love watching this show called Couple’s Therapy these days. YUM. it’s like snacking on psychological chips. I LOVE looking at people and their lives. I love watching this show over and over and discovering something new that I hadn’t noticed before. 

What music do you have on repeat at the moment?

All Rhythm and Sound albums, always and for the rest of time. I listen to things that I like on repeat for like weeks, months, years – they become my dear friends. I have been listening to this Honcho mix by Midland almost daily or every few days at least for the past…yeah…it’s been at least 3 years. I was listening to it on my walk around the park every day after I’d drop my kiddo off at school and it was giving this dramatic arc to like each tree I passed, my relationship to the sky that day. It’s such an incredibly beautiful mixtape. I hear something new on each listen. I feel some new different shit in some new moment with each listen. I LOVE a repeat listen. Need it. Ummmm and then in the past couple of months my little kick has been ‘Thong Song’ by Sisqo because of that Cynthia Erivo interview hehehehhehe. And finally in the past couple of weeks, it’s been ‘Big Guy’ by IceSpice from The SpongeBob movie soundrack hahahhahahhahah – I have no idea how that happened.

Do you have a ritual before you go on stage?

I miss my old ritual of walking around the block and having a ciggie while listening to whatever album I’d be ritualistically be listening to in relation to the work or at that time. I stopped smoking a few years ago so yeah, bye bye to that ritual. Uh huh, for instance when I was performing YELLOW TOWEL a lot, I would always listen to that Fever Ray debut album while walking. And then I always blasted the track ‘My House’ on stage juuuuusstttttt before they would let the audience in the room.  But I suppose the most consistent thing I do, still do to this day, is to speed around sweatily sculpting the room, make sure everything is in the right place.

What is the best thing about your job?

That I have the privilege to do something that it seems really really fucking weird to call a “job”. I do this thing where I feel like I can shape my existence and my daily going-ons and thinkings and my actions around some, like, vision of what I think…Ouf. I dunno how to end that sentence. Again, there is the privilege. I can write my own job description and that shit can really essentially change from minute-to-minute. I mean, anyone can do this in their minds really. I do this in my mind, but then I can kinda bring that into practice as well. I like getting to follow my imagination around and take notes and see about what I can do about these imaginings. I can wonder about basic things in life and spend time really working on this wondering and I can regularly wonder with others. I used to call myself a bastard philosopher. I don’t call myself that anymore cause I…I’m not sure why hehehehheheh…I guess I’m too shy. And yet, uh, I just wrote that here so…

“I can wonder about basic things in life and spend time really working on this wondering and I can regularly wonder with others. I used to call myself a bastard philosopher.”

Do you have a daily practice?

I definitely seem to need to write everyday. I don’t think there is a day where I don’t write. I feel relieved when I grant myself the time to write in my cozy brown notebooks while in bed to start the day for sure. But it might manifest in a way too long email response to someone who is asking me a banal question. It might be on miscellaneous pieces of paper…although these days it’s not so miscellaneous: I’ve given myself a way to be able to write everywhere in every room of my house or wherever I am out and about with relative ease. Yes, I have to write what my mind and guts are processing SOMEWHERE daily.

Do your parents like your work?

My parents have hardly every seen any of my work. When dad was alive, I think he came to see something I did when I was still studying in university. My mom saw one post-university piece and it freaked her out so much she never came back. I think she feels intimidated by the fact that well, I guess cause I’m not making out and out “entertainment” art. I don’t think she’s comfortable with the fact that I’m not out there smiling and looking “pretty”. It’s too bad she won’t let herself release into it ‘cause I don’t think what I do in my art practice is much different than anything she already has access to understanding. I dunno how clear that is. I think my mom and I are a hell of a lot alike. Anyhoo. I’ve always said that it doesn’t bother me and that it’s okay. I think it’s okay with me that she doesn’t see my work. That’s probably not true! Sigh…

With whom would you like to collaborate once? Are there certain artists you feel related to and why?

Hmmmm yes. I would like to play with Ralph Lemon. We met once and did a little workshop kinda moment thing once and that was soooo great. Oh yes! There was another performance that made me cry recently…His films in his show at MOMA PS1 last year…ouf. Also with Beverly Glenn Copeland, but I’m not sure how exactly. Hmmmm…also with Matthew Barney cause I used to play touch football and I would like to nerd out on football stuff. I had really dreamt a lot of collaborating with William Pope.L. And David Hammons again, I dunno how, but David Hammons. I haven’t collaborated a lot cause I’m a loner. But I’m a loner that does indeed like to be surrounded sometimes. Anyway yes, I consider all of these people to be my cousins. Recently I finally collaborated with Markus Öhrn after years and years and years of us trying to find a way and that was a really great family reunion feeling!

Have you ever had a special encounter with an audience member?

SSSSOOOOOO MANY. This last piece that I’ve been performing, MIKE, has gifted me with dozens if not hundreds of super super special encounters. The most common theme has been people who seemed to be normally pretty shy feeling comfortable enough to come and lie on the ground juuuussttt in front of me to observe whatever it is I’m doing in the moment. It is soooo touching and connecting and sometimes I have to hold back from crying in those moments.  Also the BABIES and the KIDDOS. Oh my gosh. Just fucking magical.

“I haven’t collaborated a lot cause I’m a loner. But I’m a loner that does indeed like to be surrounded sometimes.”

Do you care about reviews?

They are an interesting learning tool. I can soak up some kinda learning from anything. It’s always interesting to see or hear about how things are landing for people, and people who write reviews are people. 

What is the most recent note you made?

I wrote a note to myself this morning about my giddy and greedy relationship to the unknown and how it shapes the way that I make things.

Which question that you’d love to answer but have never been asked before in an interview?

Hehehehehehhehehhehehehe there are all kinds of questions that I would LOVE to be asked that I’ve never been asked before but I have no idea what they are but I would know what they were when I heard them!

If you would get the chance to start again and choose a new career, what would you do?

I’d be a sexologist or some kind of sex-education teacher for young folks or a self-employed plumber or a janitor at a very special school and I often contemplate being a medical secretary again but this time in a birthing centre with midwives but also yeah I would love to be a naturopathic doctor with allopathic medical training as well. 

Do you think the theatre will survive in the future?

As long as there are humans, there will be theatre of some sort!