WE-ING
Performed at EX-FACTORY as part of the KULES residency, Stoke on Trent
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WE-ING Part 1 from Chloe Cooper on Vimeo.
WE-ING Part 2 from Chloe Cooper on Vimeo.
We-ing is set within the aftermath of the Black Panties Promo Party at Monroe Civic Centre, Louisiana on 28 October 2013 when R Jelly - the tribute act of the "King of RnB", American singer-songwriter R Kelly - reportedly appeared in R Kelly's place. A series of objects and drawings positioned throughout the building are used as props within the narrative video that positions the EX-FACTORY audience as its protagonist. Being asked to take a position within the narrative, you/us/we are invited to project ourselves around the building we've walked around and the things we've seen. As the video continues, the narrative seeps out beyond an analysis of what happened at the Black Panties Promo Party - centred on selfhood and authenticity - into a more general exploration of dominant culture's reliance on those who gain success by exploiting the power afforded to them.
Locality and how it is understood in a networked global culture is intrinsic to the production and contextualisation of We-ing. We-ing began during a residency in Lithuania last year when the story of the Black Panties Promo Party broke online and Chloe spotted a tree and a lamp post in a forest that looked surprisingly similar. It's continued here in Stoke-on-Trent after arriving for the first time, getting off the train at the station, walking into Pumpkin on Platform 1 and hearing R Kelly's Vibe ("Yeah cuddle me in your arms, Like I'm your teddy bear") spilling out over the croissants and the bircher muesli, the flapjacks, tiffins, shortbreads, muffins and cookies… and how far we (if we live in Stoke-on-Trent, London or Louisiana) are implicated in that.
Thanks to Eleanor Sikorski for the superb camerawork.