In Balance With

In Balance With (2012) is a live performance with Courtney Kessel and her daughter, Chloé, sitting at opposite ends of a seesaw. During the 30-minute performance, Kessel adds items representative of their lives to Chloé's side of the seesaw. After each group of items is added, she returns to he...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Renaud Beeckmans
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Open Library of Humanities 2013-01-01
Series:Studies in the Maternal
Online Access:https://www.mamsie.bbk.ac.uk/article/id/4176/
Description
Summary:In Balance With (2012) is a live performance with Courtney Kessel and her daughter, Chloé, sitting at opposite ends of a seesaw. During the 30-minute performance, Kessel adds items representative of their lives to Chloé's side of the seesaw. After each group of items is added, she returns to her side to check the balance. Toys, violin, research books, food, pots, tools, and laundry are strapped on to the seesaw. The audience witnesses the struggle to create a balance between work, home, research, and play as a single mother and artist. As equilibrium is achieved, Kessel stills labors to maintain the balance until Chloé is ready to get down, thus signaling that her work can only happen when her daughter is cared for and occupied.
ISSN:1759-0434