Seems this went pretty damn well – first she managed to break down some boundaries by having them do an exercise about binaries. What comes between big and small? Medium, of course. But what comes between man and woman? One participant said gay. Ah, said Julie. But how about bisexual? Minds blown.
How about this: between straight man and straight woman: bisexual. Between gay man and lesbian: bisexual. Minds merrily fucked at this point. Best suggestion I heard was from our interpreter Thet: between good and evil: human.
Then physical exercises. Stiffness, tension, balance – first with one person, then two.
Julie: Sometimes we were perfect, sometimes we were not perfect.
Julie: Let’s just listen to the birds for a second.
Julie: We’re looking for the body democracy. Find yourself within the binary.
Julie: Allow yourself to feel.
Julie: It’s so nice to have harmony. But sometimes some artwork is not about harmony. It’s about making a statement.
(Btw, Julie’s just shared a Huffington Post article with me about HIV and trauma, related to her old work at ACT UP. Link here.)