Host
Mix-media installation and performance
20 April - 30 June 2024, Pase Platform, Venice 
Commissioned by Proforma


Artist Darren Nixon and I were commissioned to create new work for the Desire Lines Pavilion, a collateral event taking place during the Venice Biennale 2024. We formed a fake band and performed hard techno cover versions of songs which addressed the conflicted emotions we felt in visiting Venice, a place which is being destroyed by mass tourism.

The songs addressed issues of guilt, apology, parasitism, Sainthood and apocalypse, from Ship of Fools by the Doors to You Still Believe in Me by the Beach Boys. We performed from within an installation we made during the residency: a confession booth-like space titled Host which housed a series of Venice-inspired videos playing on iPads, framed and partly obscured by custom-made grilles made from golden paper plates commonly used across the city to serve street food to tourists.