POWER PLAY:

Based upon the interaction between Lee Holloway and Mr Grey in the film ‘Secretary’ (2002), this project endeavors to explore the tolerance and relationship between pleasure and pain together with the reactions of an audience witnessing pain on others. Are pain and pleasure diametrically opposed? Scientifically, research suggests that the same chemicals are released when experiencing both sensations.

With themes of sadomasochism and tensions between submissive/dominant, pain/pleasure, of power, as well as behavioral social acceptance raises questions of whether these roles are interchangeable.

Combining inspirations from Secretary, materiality of an Exquisite Corpse model and the historical uses of Lambeth County Court, this project offers an immersive experience for 21 participants. The programme couples as an experiment into the dynamics between two groups and the intertwining and contrasting powers of opposing parties – the submissive’ (represented by a single participant, perceived to be at a disadvantage) and the ‘dominant’ (represented by 20 people, perceived to be at an advantage). Specifically, the purpose of this project is for an antagonised party to experience and discover their pain limits, an antagoniser to discover the level of pain they are willing to inflict on another, whether the infliction of pain can be pleasurable and how an audience responds to witnessing another in pain.

Spatially, the design has been reflected horizontally across the building and forces both parties to experience same pain / struggle through a route which is mirrored through a labyrinth either as a single participant or group.