Waiting for the Blood
Performance, 1 hour, Hangzhou, 2015
A hill of red clay was excavated from within, waiting for construction. Two menstruating girls stood on the hill, pulling up their skirts and holding bellies against a heavy red rock picked from the interior of the hill to keep it from falling. The work took place on a cold winter morning. They stood barefoot on the frozen red earth for an hour, waiting for the menstrual blood to flow down their legs and into the red earth.
Through performing the shame that women constantly face and deal with in daily lives, as well as the ambiguity of both states of concealment and exposure, this work explores the connection between pain within the female body and the outside world.
Concept: Qiong Zhang
Performer: Qiong Zhang, Lili Xie
Camera: Manuel Vason.