B.L.I.P.S. @ Summerhall
B.L.I.P.S. is a mental and emotional rollercoaster of an experience characterised by insomnia, paranoia, and even nostalgia
Chaos brings its own kind of order. The visual, audible, and emotional experience of the multi-media piece B.L.I.P.S. allows viewers to progressively comprehend the mundanity of what internally feels and externally appears to be constant chaos. Yet when chaos is one’s constant, it also becomes their familiar form of order. This paradox materialises itself in the bizarre yet captivating piece, performed by Margot Mansfield and directed by Jess Love.
Projected slides teach us that the acronym 'B.L.I.P.S.' stands for Brief Limited Intermittent Psychotic Symptoms. Definitions of other terms relevant to the stages of the protagonist’s psychotic episodes also fill the screen as Mansfield’s narrative unfolds. Throughout the piece, a sort of mundanity amidst chaos is established. The protagonist consistently experiences insomnia night after night, makes the same phone calls, and repeats the same anecdotes. When the protagonist leaves the stage, her spotlight is replaced by a gleam from the projector which displays true archival footage of what appears to be home videography from Mansfield’s childhood. These dips into the past serve as slivers of hope, as the narrative grows darker and with that, more unsettlingly humorous.
The show does not seem to take a break from unsettling its viewers, but not more than the condition of B.L.I.P.S. seems to unsettle its targeted individual. Jarring noises initiate this discomfort, while the soothing voices of the protagonist’s parents work to briefly paralyse it. Soon enough though, Mansfield returns to the stage to release manic fits and dance episodes, which are then balanced by controlled acrobatic movements as the atmosphere quietens and the lights warmly dim. With stamina and skill, Mansfield employs her body to distinguish between involuntary agitations and the intentional modes of catharsis that attempt to ease them; her multi-faceted performance portrays the pain and light that simultaneously shine through psychosis.
B.L.I.P.S., Summerhall (Old Lab), until 26 Aug, 10am, £17