Theo Cowley

The Harlequin Sits with the 7 Sins and a Character with No Character
part of Petit Pois, an exhibition curated by the Centre of Attention

Performed at Tate Modern, 4 July 2006 for the opening of Pierre Huyghe's Celebration Park

Performance, as it is depicted in the work of Theo Cowley whether live or through a filmed scenario amounts to an emphasis on the performer as seeking a vocabulary of gesture and movement. The space that Cowley opens up in his work is one of studio-based rehearsal - the formation of dialogues between different disciplines as a form of physical communication.

A reading/recital as a dance. A translation. Don't forget it's in the context of an opening. Develop a language, movement. A vocal gesture/noise for each sin/quality. It doesn't matter what it looks like. It's about abstract emotions/ideas. The face, entering and leaving the dance. A jerky fit dance. Complete unawareness. Stillness. Judgment/the thinking gesture. Stepping out of the way, the Black Swan. Microscopic intent - holding in hands an object in that world. Faffing. The Harlequin sits in the corner depressed etc. An Injury. A vocal breakdown, a dance with the mouth. Hiding. Standing still, intent. Laughter. A lack of sense of humour/stillness. Ballet plies. A ballerina smoking in the street. Sincerity. A veil. A nagging sense of, A dance spoken. Standing in a room. The dancing man, the dancing woman. 7 attributes, virtues in the negative.

Petit Pois is organised by the Centre of Attention in collaboration with Sophie Kaplan and part of Paris calling, a season of contemporary art from France