Anna-Marija Adomaityte & Gautier Teuscher: WORKPIECE
WORKPIECE questions the physical and social conditions in which productivity takes place, and its effects on the body. Anna-Marija Adomaitytė based this work on her own work experiences and those of her colleagues at McDonalds.
“I like my light green uniform, its collar and buttons up to my throat. When I wear it, I don’t feel my body ageing. Come as you are – this space is timeless and disease-free. Tender meat and pastel frozen products. Yellowish dots of sesame seeds.
McDonald’s arches on my ass. The ice cream holder looks like metal labia. My left hand is slightly shorter than the right one. I recognise rainbow patterns in all cleaning sponges: differently coloured sponge for each WC. The time has drowned in greasy bowls. Service light twinkles at 4 AM. Looks like it is pouring cosmic energy. She goes to work slowly. They cry and masturbate in the toilets.
“Do you believe in magic?” It smells of Alpine herbs. “The closest thing to home”. They secretly make photos of my colleague. “Lovin’ Beats Hatin’”, plush toys for the ones who donate, accumulated well-being, burns on wrists and fingers, filet-o-fish, filet-o-flesh, Voluntary Servitude, McRefugee, “Mūsų dienos kaip šventė, kaip žydėjimas vyšnios; Join in and follow Black & Positively Golden.
Back pain is my dino, so archaic I forget to feed him. Best employee of the month smiles from the picture on the wall, between me and her there is a cloud of cheap perfume. Work consumes my body; love is stronger than hatred. Futures drive-thru I remember.”
About the makers
Lithuanian-born Anna-Marija Adomaitytė studied contemporary dance at La Manufacture. Once settled in Geneva, she founded the contemporary dance company A M A. Pas de deux, her latest work, premiered at La Bâtie - Festival de Genève and was selected for the European dance network AEROWAVES in 2022. She is currently working on her third piece, TikTok-Ready Choreographies (in co-production with Pavillon ADC, Geneva).
Gautier Teuscher is a musician and technical set designer. He works with sound, light and set. Since 2018, he has lived and worked as artist-in-residence at L'Abri in Geneva, where he continues to develop his musical practice through various projects.
Credits
created by Anna-Marija Adomaityte & Gautier Teuscher distribution Tristan Barani
WORK WORK WORK
During WORK WORK WORK, Frascati will open its doors as a museum for performance art for four days. Each day the building will be open for eight hours, representing a working day. Dries Verhoeven co-curates the programme with his own work and that of others into a large number of performance, fine art and video works about the relationship between employer, employee and (art) consumer. Together, the artists explore the politics of the working body now and in the future.
Check out the other works of WORK WORK WORK