“The sacrificed calf feeds from the swollen udder” addresses the position of the female body as a focal point of repressed histories and political desires in Ireland. The performance stemmed from the group exhibition, SANDMAN, held in the Complex, Dublin, in accordance with STREAM. The show’s undertone was influenced by Verse 32 from the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament:
“They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshipped it and sacrificed it […]"
I—a young Irish woman—sat, swaddling a glass pail of milk; an undeniable burden protruding from my stomach. My objective was to abstain from assistance; to carry this load in solitude, a task which became insurmountable.
An hour passed, when two female audience members came to my aid. Removing a refuse bag from my pocket, they held it between my legs, while I pulled the plug from the vessel’s nether side. Out chugged the contents, relieving me from my seated position; a weight lifted.
A glass pail with no capacity, I loosen the umbilical chord of what tethered me to the vessel. I now stand fully exposed—yet, free. Taking the bag of milk, I drag it in circles, building momentum as the contents slowly begins to leak out. Suddenly, I stop—am I the person left to carry this weight around?
I reach out to three men, to help lift this encumbrance over the mouth of the glass pail. With difficulty, they grasp the delicate plastic between their fingers, while I caress its underbelly; we share responsibility. I see the struggle in their arms, the discomfort on their faces—I withdraw my hand from the growth and thrust it forward with force, breaking the bulge’s seal. The contents drain into its former place; waiting for the cycle to commence again.