my bovine heart

‘my bovine heart’ is a solo performance that explores notions of ‘cowness’ often confused with the term ‘meat’. It takes the form of a performance lecture that loses its way – shifting between cabaret, story telling and nightmare in which the narrator finds an ‘abattoir behind the door ‘ and herself mistaken for a side of beef.

It is a meta-theatrical performance that attempts to find a way of representing and reflecting upon a reality that impacts the lives of billions of animals every year and which is a moral dilemma for some of us. As a subject matter that is often difficult to think about or talk about, this performance attempts to find an imaginative way to do so. It uses a combination of theatrical elements, video and a stage performance, blending pathos and humour, to ruminate on the difference between flesh and meat and the difficulty of putting words to animal trauma.

This performance is the creative component of the artist’s Doctoral Research, which seeks to examine the intersection of ‘the animal’, performance practice and the ethics of care.

Writer/Performer: Regina Heilmann
Video Artist: Sam James
Sound Artist: Gail Priest
Lighting Design: Richard Montgomery