- Venue
- Street (The)
- Location
Fresh off the train at Liverpool I'm looking for Marcus Young's performative action 'Pacific Avenue' on Church Street. It's wet, its windy, I've got very un-sensible shoes on, no brolly and I'm trying hard not to look too much like a tourist with my city map flapping all over the place. As my face starts to drip I remind myself that braving the elements, overcoming the obstacles, finding the slightly obscure or completely undisclosed locations of Live Art is one of the genre's rewards. Successfully locating it and managing to 'witness' where countless others will fail appeals deeply to the explorer, as well as the anorak, within us. Of course this joy is necessarily coupled with intense irritation when you get wet, lost en route or miss the performance entirely. Back to Marcus and I.
Dear Marcus, I imagined you in the long hours of the train journey from London. What would you look like? What would you do? Where would you be? As I pull into lime-street station I am excited at the thought of finally seeing you, in the flesh. Our meeting face to face. I was sure you would light up the world with your walk and make it a better place for me, for everyone. If I could only find you, tell you how I feel. I cared not that it was raining. I only thought of you, wet and alone on the streets of Liverpool. Were you walking in any particular direction? Was anyone interacting with you? Were you frightened? I only want to run to you and to protect you. I am haunted by the thought that you are waiting for me, out there in the cold, disappointed that I am not there to see you, to rescue you. Are you expecting me? Do you feel the same? I know that we were destined to meet and to be together. I have to find you at any cost, my Love.
First Church Street then down School Lane. I'm walking with purpose as I don't want to look lost when I encounter Marcus. Round the corner to Church Street again. Still no Marcus. Do I even know what I'm looking for? The literature lists the event as a performative walk but doesn't all walking involve some level of performativity? Foot impacts pavement and propels body forward. No, instead I will have to look for something unusual, something transformative that 'does' aside from walking. Then I spot it.
In the distance between Start Rite and KFC something tall (very tall), slow moving and beige stands out from amongst the crowds and their soggy shopping bags. Marcus is a giant, at least 6 foot 10 to my eyes. He is dressed in an expensive looking long (very long) beige coat that reaches down to the floor with matching gloves and scarf, the outfit is rounded off with a shapely beige umbrella. Marcus is inching down Church Street one unseen toe at a time. His face is fixed, eyebrows arched, eyes slightly glassy and the only word for his smile is: beatific. In short, it looks as if Marcus is heavily medicated. The umbrella, like the rest of the outfit, seems to fit Marcus perfectly but put in the hands of a normal sized man it would surely be the size of a garden patio-umbrella or a beach windbreaker. Then I realise it is not that Marcus is hugely tall. Rather, it is that his presence is imposing, at odds with everything and everyone around him. In this sense Marcus is unfamiliar, he represents an element of the uncanny and the abject from everyday life in Liverpool. For this reason Marcus is a bit scary. Having found him I'm now slightly afraid. I don't know what to do or say. As I approach Marcus I look intently in the other direction and walk straight past him.
Once out of sight I stop. I can't decide what to do now I've found Marcus. Should interact with him? Am I supposed to talk to him? I flip through the brochure for Liverpool Live, it says "The artist hopes to transform Church Street into Pacific Avenue by countless greetings with strangers." I warm towards Marcus at reading this. He evidently wants interaction with the public. Although from what I saw his 'street companions' are sharing nothing but horrified looks with him. I decide to walk back towards Marcus and help him out. 5 steps away I take the plunge.
And suddenly you appeared as if from nowhere, Marcus my Love, as the stars predicted. You were as beautiful I had dreamed. The sight of you pierced my heart. You hovered above the dirty pavement, serene, a bright angel far removed from the grime of the city. You are sent from above, a poignant pause within this mad world. Heavens re-choice. Our bond is to be established at last, our promised flesh to flesh. I have arrived to rescue you, as you always knew I would. No more need for worry. No more sadness, only joy. Drawn by the glow of your smile my feet falter on their path toward you. Your face beams out and Liverpool fades away. The warm rays of your smile guide my way, they brush up against my body. I reach out and step into your light. We are the only two people who exist. You for me and me for you. You open your arms and fold me into you. I am become one with you, with your beige. Together as one we soar up over the rooftops of Church Street, away from the grey day and into the sunlight.
'Hi Marcus, how are you'. The smile falters. Marcus looks alarmed but says nothing. I try again. 'Awful day for an outdoor performance.' I can see in his eyes that Marcus hasn't quite decided whether or not I might want to attack him. He still says nothing but the wide smile and distant stare is re-instated. The point where it would be rude for Marcus to carry on ignoring me is reached then breached. 'Maybe you are in character and cant talk to me, that's ok. I'll leave now.' No goodbye from Marcus. I turn to go. In my rush to get away from him I drop my 'Liverpool Live' brochure in a puddle right by his feet. I glance at Marcus and assess the brochure as an acceptable casualty of this embarrassing situation. I carry on walking, glad that I plucked up the courage to talk to Marcus but peeved that I was ignored. I thought I had got clean away until two seconds later a old man tapped me on the arm 'I think you dropped something by that tall man over there'. 'Thanks' I mumble, 'its fine' and run off as fast as I can.
