GarethBate.com
Artist Statement
Penance: Performance, Nov. 2007 - Oct. 2008
Gareth Bate
In November 2007 I crawled on my stomach with a reconstructed field of grass on my back along Toronto’s Queen Street West from Soho Street to Spadina Avenue. I then crawled backwards. After two hours I had to give up. It was painful and tiring. The performance video Penance is intended to represent a bizarre act of self-punishment and humiliation for the guilt of environmental destruction. It also captures a sense of helplessness in the face of the overwhelming accumulation of problems facing the world. What can I do? I see this act as half serious and half ridiculous.
Reconstructing the body piece out of grass gleaned from the countryside was itself a reflective act. Agnès Varda’s beautiful film The Gleaners and I was an inspiration for the gleaning process. The Penance video moves back and forth between the agonizing performance, the bewildered response of onlookers, and contemplative scenes of gleaning grass in the countryside and the construction of the body piece. The experience of being in fields inspired the “Lament” painting series. The public response seemed to be mixed between considerable curiosity, confusion, indifference and hysterical laughter.
This body of work was created while using The 401 Richmond Career-Launcher Prize. It makes its gallery debut in Penance & Devotion at Glendon Gallery starting Oct. 7th.
Credits
Artist & Performer: Gareth Bate
Grass Body Construction: Gareth Bate
Street Filming: Saglara Kitchikova
Studio & Country Filming: Gareth Bate
Editing: Gareth Bate
Street Still Photography: Carolyn Dinsmore, Saglara Kitchikova
Studio Still Photography: Gareth Bate
Country Still Photography: Gareth Bate, Carolyn Dinsmore
Special Thanks: Georgina Neville, John Brown
All Images & Videos: Copyright: Gareth Bate, 2008
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 1, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 2, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 8, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 3, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 14, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 15, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 16, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 17, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 18, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photog: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 21, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 20, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 19, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance 22, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 23, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 24, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Penance Country Shots
Special Thanks to Carolyn Dinsmore and Georgina Neville for helping me collect all the grasses in Whitevale, Ontario.
Photo: Gareth Bate: Penance Country Process Shot 1, digital photograph, Whitevale, 2007
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Country Process Shot 2: Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Whitevale, 2007
Photo: Gareth Bate: Penance Country Process Shot 3: Carolyn Dinsmore and Georgina Neville help Gareth Bate collect grasses, digital photograph, Whitevale, 2007
Photo: Gareth Bate: Penance Country Process Shot 4: Carolyn Dinsmore and Georgina Neville help Gareth Bate collect grasses, digital photograph, Whitevale, 2007
Photo: Gareth Bate: Penance Country Process Shot 5: Carolyn Dinsmore and Georgina Neville help Gareth Bate collect grasses, digital photograph, Whitevale, 2007
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Country Process Shot 6: Gareth Bate collecting grasses, digital photograph, Whitevale, 2007
Photo: Gareth Bate: Penance Country Process Shot 7: Carolyn Dinsmore gleaning, digital photograph, Whitevale, 2007
Penance Studio Shots
Photograph by Gareth Bate: Penance Studio Process Shot 1, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photograph by Gareth Bate: Penance Studio Process Shot 2, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance Process Shot 1, Gareth and Carolyn Dinsmore preparing for the performance, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Gareth Bate: Penance Studio Process Shot 4, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Penance Performance Candid Shots
Photo: Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance Process Shot 2, Gareth preparing for the performance, Gareth Bate, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance Process Shot 6 with Saglara Kitchikova filming Gareth Bate on Queen Street W., digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance Process Shot 3 with Saglara Kitchikova drop kicking Gareth Bate on Queen Street W., digital photograph,
Film Still by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 5, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Gareth Bate: Penance Performance 8, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 6, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 10, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 9, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 11, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 12, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 7, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 13, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Gareth Bate: Penance Studio Process Shot 3, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Film Still by Saglara Kitchikova: Penance Performance 25, Gareth Bate, digital video Toronto, 2007.
Photo: Carolyn Dinsmore: Penance Performance Process Shot 5 with Gareth Bate on Queen Street W. at the end of the performance, digital photograph, Toronto, 2007.
