explorations in revolutionary investigative monsterhood

A monster may be understood to be many things, to make many sounds, to lurk in many corners, to hatch from many eggs.

The Oxford English Dictionary offers the definition of “a large, ugly, and frightening imaginary creature”.

Natural historian of exotic monstrosity Natalie Lawrence makes clear that “‘Monster’ probably derives from the Latin, monstrare, meaning ‘to demonstrate’, and monere, ‘to warn’. Monsters, in essence, are demonstrative. They reveal, portend, show and make evident, often uncomfortably so.”

The ‘monstratsia’ or ‘monstration’ protest parades that have spread throughout Russia since their initiation by Artyom Loskytov and the Novosibirsk Contemporary Art Terrorism group in Siberia in the mid 2000’s are processions of human beings and other creatures holding placards that evade conventional constructions of political, logical, or grammatical ‘sense’.

Linking the above threads of potential monsterly essence loosely together, monsters may be seen as beings often demonised for existing outwith the constraints of the ‘normal’. The equation of certain categories of people with a perceived derogatory ‘beastliness’ may be seen as a prominent ingredient in numerous supremacist ideologies such as racist notions of ‘savage’ indigenous peoples, sexist suggestions of the ‘animalistic’ irrationality of menstruating women, and ableist slurs of people with a range of (dis)abilities as ‘freaks’. What marks these notions of ‘monstrousness’ is their divergence from the characteristics of those deemed as ‘superior’ within hegemonic discourses.

Working in virtual residency with Folie/Culture between 3rd and 17th November 2020, Huge Sillytoe facilitated workshops concerning monsterly self-transformation and celebration with groups of (super)human beings in Quebec City and London. Here people who may or may not have endured bigoted accusations of monstrousness as if it were an insult previously in their lives to different degrees were invited to embrace and amplify their shared beautiful monstrousness, in so doing contributing to the reclamation of the concept of the ‘monster’ and further undoing oppressive notions of normality that baselessly suggest that certain ways of being are superior to others.

Following the pandemic restrictions in each nation at the time, participants in Quebec conducted individual supersensible experiments from their homes and created video reports of their (not)findings, whilst a group living together within the House of Free Massag artists’ community in East London conducted a monsterly drift investigation across East Ham culminating in a verbatim opera of their (not)findings as their daily legally-permitted outdoor exercise on Friday 13th November 2020. All these elements are blended together in the resulting video work.

The supersensible data collected is always incomplete and such explorations of revolutionary investigative monsterhood must and shall continue. For now, in the brief pause for breath between uprisings, let us leave this project description with a piece from Quebecois poet and (no)work(no)shop participant Simon Brown that they describe as “Une petite méditation sur les monstruosités bienveillantes intérieures et extérieures” (A little meditation on inner and outer monstrosities of the benevolent kind):

ôôôôôôôÔ

ôÔ

ô Féculent

fleuraison fuck-all

ôpe ôpe oppe

Soucoupe Dérange Poilu•e

aaaaï pa

pyjama

j-je

j-jeupe

nous croyais liquide

nous croyais Pourri Prolifique

nous croyais cou

crousticou

coucou de l’air

coucou cryptide dedans

dedans danger

j-je-je cheeeeu

j-je peeeeuuuuïïa

j-je porte nuage carotté

COMME bouclier bienveillance

lance lance

Ô boudou bï

bïbïboue dedans

chez HART

chez HAAAAART

Participating artists and monsters: Aaron Doomlord, Tally Saharova, Nayara Eny, Tasteless Paste, Grosvenor, Agos Art, Carlos Barba, Moldy Moody Swing, Philip Utopia Després, Alexandre St-Onge, Flavie Dufour, Cold Cold, Mathieu Soy Milk Box Lapierre, Annabelle Guimond Simard, Laurie St-Onge Dostie, Anne-Marie Cardin, Laurence Gravel, and Simon Brown.

Videos and photos: Mali Mowcka.