to soothe, Hering Raum Bonn, Bonn, Germany
1996
performance documentation image
In a live performance at Herring Raum Bonn, Bonn, Germany Sheehan, wearing an apron, dips into a bucket of petroleum jelly, comes up holding a gob that she then warms in her bare hands. Facing the white felt bust relief hung on the wall, she lovingly rubs the jelly on its chest. Next Sheehan produces a long razor with which she shaves-off the petroleum jelly, flicking it into the bucket. After a second reapplication, Sheehan steps on the start button of a vacuum cleaner and uses it to loudly suck the jelly off the chest before applying a final soothing layer to the now ravaged felt surface.
Copyright Heather Sheehan, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, Authors and Photographers.