We do certain things to make ourselves happy that others aren’t meant to take part in or understand. This is one of them.
With Self Medication I was interested in the private nature of activities that individuals perform alone to make themselves feel better when angry or depressed. Preparing for the project, I begun calling friends asking them what their personal activities were. Again and again, I heard from friends who danced alone as a form of self medication.
I created Self Medication as a performance art piece representing this idea. It was performed by four individuals in front of a twin bed, set up by each to simulate their bedroom environment. Each performer wore headphones while they danced to three songs of their choice. If the audience wanted to hear the music, they had to leave the room and listen to a music player in sync with the performer’s. Thus, the audience was intentionally unable to witness the performers’ full experience, forced to choose between audio and visual experiences.