Chew on It — Camila Bianchi

Chew on It

In "Chew on It," a community of artists and visitors gather around a ceramic composting vessel encircled by four microphones. At the beginning of the performance, the audience is invited to join with prompt cards that read:

"Pick up a gum./ Chew on it at the microphone. /When saliva builds up, spit excess saliva on the compost./ Do it until you're done/. Keep your gum (a) or spit on the compost(b):'

Participants engaged in chewing gum and spitting on the collective pile, providing digestive enzymes to the soil. The performance is stretched in a synchronous, sometimes syncopatious melody. Sound materializes. Spit accumulates-a wet pile of saliva on a hot pile of compost. The performance highlights the metabolic process of chewing as the symbolic process of composting. It challenges the extractive nature of human-soil relationships, where soil is often commodified for its services. Instead, "Chew on It" invites the audience to consider their role as active contributors to soil regeneration.

2023
Participatory performance, ceramic, compost, gum, spit, microphones, stereo system
Variable sizes, duration 1 hour

Collaborative piece with Liza Stout