Katya Grokhovsky, Untitled (Dishevelled Bunny Plays with Metal Sticks) 2010, photos Andrew Green
Performance.
Response to Linda Kaban's performance and Script.
Script.
Title: Americano Americano
You wanna be Americano
Americano.
He's drivin' a jeep
But he ain't in the Army
Gets all his cigarette money
From his mommy
Dressed like a rootin' tootin' Texas cowboy
But this lone ranger's
Never seen a horse
He wanna be Americano Americano, Americano
He wants to drive a Cadillac
Now he's chasing showgirls
Smokin' Camels,whiskey and soda
Now he's never goin' back
He's cruisin streets for gold
Dressed in designer clothes
Brother if your too slow
You'd better not blink
Or you'll wind up in the drink
Wanna be Americano Americano, Americano
Gotta buy a diamond ring
Cause that's his baby's
Favorite thing
Okay,all right,yeah man
Wanna be American
Wanna be American
He's in the land where
Anything can happen
Reach for the stars
Grab that golden ring
Just remember he's Americano
well watch it pal '
Cause he'll take everything
He wanna be Americano Americano, Americano
He wants to drive a Cadillac
Now he's chasing showgirls
Smokin' Camels,
Whiskey and soda
Now he's never goin' back
He likes that rock and roll
He's playing baseball
Loves Marilyn Monroe
A coca cola Joe
And a pizza pie to go
Wanna be Americano Americano, Americano
Gotta buy a diamond ring '
Cause that’s his baby's
Favorite thing
Okay, all right, yeah man
Wanna be American
Wanna be American
Wanna be American
Small American flags
(greets the audience heartily)
(to any audience member)
Excuse me, but would you mind bringing over one of those little American flags, from over there? See? Yes, over there. I can’t seem to reach it. Could you please put it in my mouth.
Open mouth. Painted flag. American, Red stripes, Blue stars. White cotton. Large. Aggressively painted. Cheap acrylic paint.
Over her head.
Flag Dishevelled. Worn over a naked female body. Draped over the pedestal. Centre of the space.
Helpless and passively aggressive. Sitting under hot spotlight. Sparkling cheap dishevelled blond wig. Badly cut.
Asymmetrically. Messed up.
Wearing the flag. Off the shoulder. Hole cut in the middle of the large piece of white cotton. Painted.
Aggressively, expressively, energetically.
In contrast, she sits, her legs and feet together in front of her. Heels. Gold leather.
Audience around her. In front of her. Watching. She is watching them watch her. Passively. Powerfully.
Spotlight.
Nearby, piece of white cotton cloth.
11 small plastic American flags positioned on it. Spotlight.
Music. Loud. You wanna be Americano? Loud.
In Italian.
Whisky Soda Rock’n’ Roll.
Music. Loud. She is moving to the beat, slightly with her almost bare shoulders.
Sit on the pedestal. Allow audience to come closer.
Wait a little longer. A little more. Wait and watch them watch you. Helpless?
They cannot see her hands. She suddenly opens the folds of the fabric, draped all around her and points towards one member of the audience. She looks at them, into their eyes as far as she can see.
Point. Choose.
“Could you please, I’m terribly sorry, actually could you please I’m so sorry to bother you, could you please, I’m so sorry to bother you I’m so sorry, actually, could you please pass me a flag. Thank you.”
“Could you please, bring one of those flags, those little flags to me and put one in my mouth? Thank you”.
“Make sure you know your rights, proud Americans!”
I can be free in this place I wake up in everyday! Free!
Under God. I Swear.
Once again.
Excuse me kind Madam/Sir would you be so kind as to bring me one of those little American flags?
Could you bring it over here, to me? Could you put it in my mouth?
You see I can’t reach I have no hands. Thank you so much, so kind of you.
Hold it in your mouth. She is holding it and watching them, watching her.
Watching herself, she is facing a mirror.
She is looking around her. There is a lot of excess of fabric around her, there are white unpainted spots on the fabric.
She spits the flag towards the white, yet unpainted space.
Spits the flag right out of her mouth.
Next person.
She is watching, looking around, watching the audience.
Would you be so kind?
Thank you. Put it in my mouth.
Thank you.
Putting it in my mouth. Plastic and fabric. Which side?
She.
Through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched
Were so gallantly streaming?
Once all of the members of the audience have participated.
Oh say, Oh say, Oh say, Oh say can you see! (sung.)
Help me. (whispered.)
I pledge allegiance,
To the flag,
Of the United States of America.
And to the Republic,
For which it stands,
One Nation,
Under God,
Indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.
With liberty and justice for all.
With liberty and jjjjjjjuuuusttttiiiiiccee.
For all Immigrants.
You want to be Americano? Americano? Americano?
Whiskey soda rock.n.roll.
She stares into herself. She blinks and is blank.
She spits out small plastic American flags and goes on.
One by one.
Does this make you feel uncomfortable?
It makes her feel empowered, yet disgusted. American whore.
Americanized spaces places cultures.
Continuous action of asking and holding and looking and spitting.
Over and over again. Repeat.
Again.
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
Could someone please?
I mean, proud American? Please put it in my mouth.
She is blond. Cheap wig. Red and blue paint.
Cheap acrylic.
Repeat. Again. Once again. Repeat.
If I may say so myself.
You may. Thank you. Thank them.
Thank the audience. Again. Repeat.
I just feel like every day I wake up I’m so glad to be in a place where I can be free.
I’m glad you feel that way.
I do. It’s just great that I have the freedom of speech, and I can stray away from script at any time.
That means I have the freedom to say this…..
(Clears throat.) Well, that’s enough of that.
Please put the flag in my mouth. Opens mouth.
Hold.
Could I have a fellow American to bring me one of those flags? I can’t seem to reach it. I’m much too helpless and can’t reach places so far out over there. Now, make sure you put it in my mouth.
Opens mouth. Hold.
Anyone else care to give it a go? (to another audience member.)
By the dawn’s early light
How about you? (to another audience member.)
What so proudly we hailed,
Continues inviting guests to put flags in her mouth.
She continues to spit them out.
Onto white spaces of her excessive cloth.
Repeat. Again.
At the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
Through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched,
Were so gallantly streaming?
Oh say, Oh say, Oh say, Oh say can you see!
Music. Americano. Americano.
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
You do wanna be Americana. She stays blond and cheap and immobile. She watches the audience .
They are watching her watch them.
Surveying each pair of eyes.
They seem disturbed.
Repeat.
One hour. Two hours. Three hours.
The audience decides not to participate.
Nobody.
She keeps surveying her playing field. She is a creature of American want.
After gesturing towards each member of the audience with her finger, unsuccessfully, she suddenly gets up, clumsily and starts collecting the flags around her. They have all been spat out and are laying all about, displayed on her excessive cotton flag.
She surveys her domain around her.
She forgets the audience.
It is now her task.
She reaches out towards each flag.
I’m going to put this in my mouth. She can now.
She puts each collected flag into her mouth.
Holds it for a prolonged period of time and starts aiming to spit towards the white cloth where the flags used to be positioned.
Repeat. Hold. Again. Again. Holding it.
Spitting it out towards the white uncanonised cloth.
She fails with each flag. Continues the action.
Repeatedly.
You want to dance
You play baseball
You drink soda
You drink whisky and coca cola
You take money for cigarettes form your mummy
You want to pretend to be American
Pretend
You drink whisky with cola
I love you
American. I love you America.
You were born in Italy
Okay?
Americano Americano
You want to be fashionable
Fashionable
Americana
Still have a few things to work out
Very, un-American indeed.
She goes on.
Spit. Put. Spit.
O’er the land of the FREE.
Spit it out and colonize the rest. Un-consume.
Undo the DAMAGE and repeat.
Again.
Undo.
Repeat. Walk away. Gather your fabrics and walk away, stumbling. Free.
