The dying swan is back
1999

Performance, 15 min., Goldsmith College's exhibition space

In this performance I reintroduce my old tragicomic character from The Dying Swan. Dressed up as the Ugly Duckling I enter the room, where an enormous egg is placed on the middle of the floor. When The Ugly Duckling discovers or recognizes the egg, he runs towards it and starts to hug it. But the egg is so big and ungraspable, that it is difficult.

After a while the hugging turns into some movements, which could be seen as if he was masturbating, or trying to make love to the egg. Later he starts to cut of some of his fur for building, what later turns out to be, a very small nest. In order to place the egg in the nest he tries to lift it (instead of just rolling it, which would have been much easier). But the egg is so heavy and big, that it is almost impossible.

Finally he succeeds to lift it, but only for soon after to drop it with the result of it breaking. He then takes of his fur and place it inside the egg and tries to put the egg together again. But even that fails. After I have left the room the egg roles over and brakes again, revealing the costume inside the egg.

All through the performance The Ugly Duckling is trying to create different relationships to the egg. But he never succeeds, and in that sense the performance deals both with the aspect of going back to your origin as well it is dealing with a certain sadness or loneliness. The subject of origin works on both a personal level, as well as a reference to the more philosophical question of the chicken and the egg..