Deliverance profiled by Berlin-based “popkontext!”

“Thinking back to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in Summer, is there anything that particularly stood out? Perhaps it was a comedy act, perhaps it was a theatre production…but what about the things that didn’t quite fit into a neat, high-production package? What about the quirky and the thought-provoking?

Gluttony in Rymill Park had something pretty special going on…

It was Deliverance – a durational piece where three performers entered and stayed in a 6 x 5 metre outdoor space for 10 days.

They initially were naked with absolutely no possessions.

So what happened over the 240 hour piece? Did passersby help them out?

William McBride speaks to Jennie Lenman about the experience and future plans.”

Radio Adelaide’s Arts Breakfast, Saturday 21 July, 2012.

Deliverance is going to Berlin!

In August, Penny, Kat and Will will join the inaugural residency program from ZK/U: Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik/Centre for Art and Urbanistics. In Berlin, we will re-perform Deliverance, and develop the work to prepare it for presentation across the world. It is very exciting news.

This is a video that forms part of our Pozible fundraising campaign. Please watch, and pass on to any colleagues, friends and family who might be interested.

Donations can be made here, in return for rewards: http://www.pozible.com/deliveranceart

All contributions will be so gratefully received.

A meaty interview with Penny and William on Festival Radio two days prior to the commencement of Deliverance at the 2012 Adelaide Fringe.

“Theatre, comedy and music weren’t the only performances at the Fringe this year.There was something very special going on in Gluttony in Rymill Park.

It was Deliverance – a durational piece where three performers entered and stayed in a 6 x 5 metre outdoor space for 10 days.

They initially were naked with absolutely no possessions.

That is, until the goodwill of passersby came through, with people sharing clothes, objects, shelter and food with the three.  Kat Henry, William McBride and Penny Harpham lived this experiment for 240 hours. Kat spoke with Jennie Lenman about what the three discovered.”

Radio Adelaide Breakfast’s Jennie Lenman interviews a croaky Kat Henry the week following Deliverance’s conclusion, on March 23, 2012.

891 ABC Adelaide’s roving reporter revisits Deliverance at the Adelaide Fringe on day nine of ten.

“Deliverance participants survive the weather and each other.”  

(Image credit: Spence Denny)

891 ABC Adelaide’s roving reporter Spence Denny speaks with Will, Kat and Penny on day three of ten days at the 2012 Adelaide Fringe.

(Image credit: Spence Denny)

ABC Radio National’s Nance Haxton profiles Deliverance at the Adelaide Fringe, 2012.

TRANSCRIPT:

Nudity nothing to be ashamed of in Adelaide fringe

Updated March 08, 2012 09:00:00

Three actors are relying on the goodwill of their audience to survive in the Adelaide fringe event Deliverance. They will stay in their performance space in the Adelaide parklands for 10 days straight. They entered the stage yesterday with nothing - including clothes.

Nance Haxton

Source: AM | Duration: 3min 1sec

Topics: carnivals-and-festivals, arts-and-entertainment, events, performance-art, adelaide-5000, australia, sa

Transcript

TONY EASTLEY: As part of Adelaide’s Fringe Festival one act which appears in a city park is a case of art stripped bare.

Last night three performers walked naked onto their performance space with nothing - no shelter, no provisions, no objects, and no clothes. The trio will stay there for the next 10 days and during that time they will be counting on the goodwill of their audience.

Nance Haxton reports.

NANCE HAXTON: For performer Kat Henry the journey of Deliverance started months ago as an idea in her lounge room and now she has just walked naked through Adelaide’s Rymill Park to a roped off area of land about the size of a lounge room that will be her home for the next 10 days.

KAT HENRY: We’re standing here now in the space with an audience in front of us. Some lovely people stepped immediately into the space to give us, we’ve each got a t-shirt now. I’m holding a lovely Chinese fan in front of myself.

 NANCE HAXTON: Over the bits that weren’t covered by the shirt?

(Laughter)

KAT HENRY: That’s right. Penny has got a tennis ball was given to her by someone and Will is now wearing a pair of underpants.

NANCE HAXTON: Is there any sort of performance aspect to it or is it really relying on the interaction of people and what they bring to you?

KAT HENRY: Sure, it’s performative in the sense that it’s something that you can witness and it’s a visual evolution of an idea. Yeah, it’s something that you can witness and be part of that builds.

NANCE HAXTON: Well we’ve just had some sunburn cream brought over. That was very nice.

KAT HENRY: And some apple juice, hurrah.

NANCE HAXTON: And some apple juice, because you don’t have food either. I mean you are going to be sleeping in the open.

KAT HENRY: We have nothing. We have some apple juice however. Thank you, I don’t know who gave that to us.

NANCE HAXTON: The concept has certainly intrigued Adelaide’s fringe crowd.

VOX POP 1: It’s terrifying. I can’t think of another word.

VOX POP 2: This is insane and brilliant. And I did hear about it last night over a few drinks. And you know you hear about it and you think, oh yeah, yeah sure and then you see it. I can’t believe it’s happening.

NANCE HAXTON: The three actors, Kat Henry, William McBride and Penny Harpham say they needed a challenge and so Deliverance was born.

In the first half hour of the show they received a parcel delivered to them from friends with a sarong, candles and an iPod to help them pass the time.

WILLIAM MCBRIDE: We put a postal address on our internet site and so of course it’s being live streamed and people can tweet about it and we’ve got postal addresses. So we’re trying to make sure that all our friends from home and different people around the world can interact with it.

NANCE HAXTON: They won’t leave this space for the entire time, their only concession being to go a special toilet area.

It’s not a performance as much as an experiment as performer Penny Markham* explains.

PENNY HARPHAM: This is the biggest thing we’ve ever done and we’re all so happy and giggly and excited and optimistic. And I think in a piece like that, that’s the best head space to be in.

NANCE HAXTON: Do you have any expectations or is that almost the point?

PENNY HARPHAM: It’s totally the point but I mean it happens. My only expectation is that people respond to it in a really positive way, yeah, that they don’t look for answers but ask questions I guess. And we won’t have those answers (laughs).

*Misspelling of Artist Penny Harpham’s surname.