We Burrowers

We Burrowers is an immersive performance piece commissioned by Rui Pimenta, director of Art Spin, inspired by my original hole dug in rural Saskatchewan. This work involved two main interrelated parts. During part one the audience was slowly led into a 9 foot deep, 2000 sq ft hole specifically excavated for this project. Once the entire audience was in the hole and the entry ramp removed, members of Christine Duncan’s Element Choir, conducted on this occasion by Juliet Palmer, began to sing amongst the audience members in low, rumbly earth-inspired tones.

The second part of this work led the audience out of the hole in a procession to witness a call-and-answer between opera singer Bó Bárdos and the choir members, as well as many audience members who were inspired to join in. Bó slowly ascended an enormous pile of rubble with the sun setting in the background.

As the procession left the site, two women could be seen and heard beginning the arduous task of filling in the hole, shovelful by shovelful.

High Definition Video, Length 4:57, color, audio