The performer is encased in an airtight latex structure and uses his own breathing to maintain a vacuum inside, making the latex suck tightly around their body. The vacuumed latex objectifies and dehumanises the performer’s body, turning them into a living sculpture.
The performer appears as a figure of carved stone but through the alabaster coloured latex he is clearly a living breathing human trapped inside.
Adam Electric, SPILL Festival of Performance, Photo by Dee O'Connell
http://spillfestival.com/show/the-machine-legends/
'The Machine Legends' is 8min 53 secs in
https://vimeo.com/110652124
Adam Electric, Machine Legends, Torture Garden 24th Birthday Ball, The Coronet, Photo by Hyder Images
(Machine Legends is featured at 02:10 in the video)
Adam Electric, Machine Legends, Rubber Cult, Photo by Zac Zenza
Video documentation by Dee O'Connell of 'The Machine Legends' in the National Platform at SPILL Festival of Performance.
'Using only my breathing I create the vacuum in the sealed installation. As the latex slowly gets tighter it pulls my body into a position of its own choosing. I fight to maintain the vacuum while struggling against my airless prison'