“I have been performing PASSION/FLOWER since 2006, but only since last year with the participation of other artists. Nicola Canavan is the first female performer to join me in the piece. Working with Manuel meant that the performance moved – after several years – outdoors again and can now be watched ‘through his eyes’. Shooting on Walthamstow Marshes provided a ‘natural’ environment to complement the piece’s title and to emphasise the – to my eyes, at least – flower-like shape of the wound spreading across the chest.
How it appears through Manuel’s camera lens I don’t yet know, but crossing the marshes in search of a suitable location (picturesque and sheltered from the attention of picnicking families, of dog walkers and model aeroplane enthusiasts), urged on by Manuel’s indefatigable energy, the whole thing felt both ‘wild’ and fugitive at the same time.
This is in a very real sense Manuel’s FLOWER, just as Nicola’s is hers – his wound – and what shape it takes will depend on the force and direction of his PASSION.” – Ernst Fischer
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