Phobophilia, arousal from fear (edited clip) [videorecording] = Phobophilia, excitación a partir del miedo (clip editado)

Summary: 'Phobophilia, arousal from fear,' by Stephen Lawson and Aaron Pollard of 2boys.tv, was presented as a part of the 7th Encuentro of the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, held in August of 2009 in Bogotá, Colombia, under the title 'Staging Citizenship: Cultural Rights in the Americas.' This 10-day event brought together activism, scholarship, and art around the themes of legacies, memories, struggles, and frontiers of citizenship. In this performance, a small number of spectators are blindfolded and led to a secret location to witness a peculiar interrogation. 'Phobophilia' poses the question: What is the role of the poet in an age characterized by fear? This edited version offers additional material that follows the audience's walk towards the performance - a path that leads them to the experience of darkness and fear; a path that perhaps never ends. The performance, inspired by the life and art of Jean Cocteau, explores the relationship between artist and audience, and the negotiations established upon a sensation of fear that can be mesmerizing. This negotation also exists within the artistic practice: the performer's physical body interacts with a video projection of himself - a miniature that is both vulnerable and powerful. 2boys.tv is a transdisciplinary duo from Montreal, Canada composed by Stephen Lawson and Aaron Pollard (also notoriously known in some circles as alter egos Gigi L’Amour and Pipi Douleur). They have created a wide repertoire of epic multimedia cabaret works, performances, videos, and installations.

Credits: Gray Wetzler, videographer, video editor.

Credits: Stephen Lawson, Aaron Pollard, performers.