Our Daily Bread

This visceral experience was created as part of Leibniz’s The Book of Blood as a short cycle of 5 minutes for one audience member at a time, which was repeated over a period of several hours. In its simplicity, this micro-performance was laden with many connotations (i.e. religious iconography, rituals, etc). Dealing with notions of consumption and exploitation, the audience members were placed in a position of power and were given a physical means to reflect upon their effect on the world

Whilst one performer, on all fours, offered himself as a living chair, another sat behind a series of knives that hung on chains from the ceiling. Through a silent exchange, the audience member was instructed to choose the knife that s/he would like to see used. On the table, a loaf of red coloured bread was carefully unwrapped. The performer then cut a slice in order to share it with the audience member.

Performance Dates

Our Daily Bread
National Review of Live Art, Tramway, Glasgow
10th Feb 2008
Our Daily Bread
Sacred Season, Chelsea Theatre, London
10th May 2008

Extra Information

The Book of Blood is an ongoing and collaborative project by international performance company Leibniz. It explores issues relating to human rights. The main event of The Book of Blood is the invitation to each audience member to donate of a drop of his or her blood in order for a calligrapher to copy out the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One drop, one letter. This central event is juxtaposed with a series of micro-performances presented by other artists, who have been invited by Leibniz to be part of the project.

 

Photos by Rick Bolinger. Film by Richard Graham.