Aug. 18th 2000, Cycle Begins in the Afternoon
durational performance and video documentation
Madison, 2004; Chicago, 2004
durational performance
2011, Zaz International Performance Festival, Tel Aviv
collaboration with Joseph Connelly as Gordon and Gordon Art.

Aug. 18th 2000, Cycle Begins in the Afternoon is a meditation on infertility. It is a durational performance and record of the dates and times of seven years of sexual contact and menstruation.

When there are fertility problems, reproduction becomes sterile and impersonal. August 18th, 2000, Cycle Begins in the Afternoon is designed to break the silence and hiding.

Each artist lights one candle. Each begins to read from separate scripts. Rachel reads a list of failed attempts at conception. For each cycle, she lights a small candle for each sexual contact. Joseph reads medical files, letters from doctors, test results, diagnoses, and advice books. At the end of each cycle, we each blow out our candle, wait, and then light the candle again to start the new cycle.

A clip of the piece is below:

The piece was originally performed on video.  One candle was lit by each artist. Each then began reading from separate scripts. Rachel read a chronological listing of dates and times of unsuccessful attempts at conception. Joseph read through pages of our medical files, letters, test results, and diagnoses. At the onset of each period, the artists blew their respective candle out, paused and began the cycle again.  The performance lasted 1.5 hours.