Mourning Sickness (2019) by The Rough Band. Photo by Nigel Ball.
MOURNING SICKNESS
(2019)
Rough Band • Death Walk • Tears • BreathMourning Sickness took place in the summer of 2019. This boundary beating silent performance walk through Ipswich marked a turning around - of death to life, broken to fixed, and head to toe. A motif and direction for the walk was provided by overlaying a map of Ipswich with an image of a skull.
Commencing with a spoken text delivered in the main square of Ipswich, the route wove through a town centre churchyard, where all participants were marked on the face with painted golden tears. Halfway through the walk we stopped by the edge of a large water tower, a reminder of the mass of water and weight of tears. We then walked out of the town by crossing a ring road and following a long narrow lane until we arrived at a predetermined performance location in nearby fields. Here we performed a sonic action: playing a three minute cassette tape loop of a woman crying, amplified through a handheld megaphone, pointing skywards.
Then, collectively retracing our steps, we re-entered the town walking in a single line, everyone holding on to a section of long red rope, tied at one end around the waist of O and at the other around the waist of Merry Grey. At this stage the public event was over and we all took to a nearby tavern together. The ritual then ended privately the following day.
RITUAL OPENING TEXT
Good Evening all and welcome to Mourning Sickness - a Death Walk by The Rough Band.
If we block grief, we get sick. If we mourn together, maybe we stay well. Tonight, we visualise Ipswich as a skull, the crown a ring road, to trespass and trepan. Tonight, we beat the bounds of our town, by walking straight out the top of this head. Tonight, we wear our grief made golden upon the body, an illuminated manuscript of tears. Tears for those we have lost, for those we are yet to lose, and tears for our own mortalities.
Tonight we will walk with the in breath
(‘Blessed are they that mourn’)
Tonight we will walk with the out breath
(‘For they shall be comforted’)
Blessed are they that mourn
for they shall be comforted.
Mid-point in our walk, we ask you
to listen, watch, and bear witness.
Our walk is a turning around.
From life, to death and back again.
And so, as we re-enter the head,
we invite you to join us in holding on
to a shared moment of life force.
All elements of tonight are optional.
Do as much or as little as you want.
We do however invite everyone to walk in silence.
Walking together, mourning together.
Living together, dying together.
Out of body, out of sight.
The in breath
(Blessed are they that mourn),
the out breath
(For they shall be comforted).
The in breath
(Blessed are they that mourn),
the out breath
(For they shall be comforted).
The in breath…
the out breath…
The in breath…
the out breath…
Churchyard, Mourning Sickness (2019) by The Rough Band. Photo by Nigel Ball.
Gold tears, Mourning Sickness (2019) by The Rough Band. Photo by Nigel Ball.
Halberd Stone, Mourning Sickness (2019) by The Rough Band. Photo by Merry Grey.
'The Blessed', Mourning Sickness (2019) by The Rough Band. Photo by Merry Grey.
'Field action', Mourning Sickness (2019) by The Rough Band. Photo by Nigel Ball.
The Tower, Mourning Sickness (2019) by The Rough Band. Photo by Merry Grey.
'For they shall be comforted', Mourning Sickness (2019) by The Rough Band. Photo by Nigel Ball.
The red rope, Mourning Sickness (2019) by The Rough Band. Photo by O.
CREDITS
Date: 18 May 2019
Place: Old Post Office steps then town wide, Ipswich
Duration: 90 minutes
Concept, research, planning, delivery: O and Merry Grey
Producer: The Rough Band
Additional producing support: Pacitti Company
Funding: Self-funded work