Rex Collins ~ STRAPPED
Rex Collins' "STRAPPED" was presented before live audience at Centrale Fies, Dro, Italy on August 1, 2024 as one of 38 AEROPONIC ACTS of CHAMELEON ORBIT curated by Elisa Giuliani & Giulia Crispiani.
Here you will find the documentation of Rex Collins presentation as filmed by Baha Görkem Yalım. The written report is by Bethany Crawford and it includes a summary of the comments by esteemed guest respondents.
STRAPPED
Rex Collins question: Can you taste the place in-between places?
Rex' introduction: This space can be soft,
bouncing around,
with cushions pressed against its boundaries.
Where sharpness is dulled into tenderness.
I remember this moment months ago that I felt I was falling. As I stepped out of bed, my feet didn’t meet the ground but met a void. Everything was dripping with lube. As I tried to frantically hold onto my partner, friends, work, reality, there was no friction. My chest suspended in fear, searching, reaching out.
Friction is necessary for grip.
Friction is necessary for pleasure.
Bethany's report: The performance begins with the audience seated on stage, sharing the space with a performer positioned on all fours at the center. The performer, adorned with long pink hair over their face and wearing a rope harness attached to two warped metallic sculptures at the back of the stage, is set against an overwhelming soundscape of otherworldly intensity. The sound, evocative of rushing wind, creates a sense of movement and disorientation as the performer arches their back and moves with deliberate slowness.
A screen projection behind them displays glitching, multiplying bubbles that ripple and fracture, eventually transforming into abstract, flowing droplets. The imagery evokes a primordial soup—bacteria multiplying and evolving, rippling into complex forms. This transformation is layered and collaged, moving through states of fluidity and creation. The droplets’ reproductive imagery intensifies, becoming almost ejaculatory, while the soundwaves and visuals thicken, giving a sense of gestational buildup. The narrative begins to suggest birth, as the performer appears tethered to the sculptures, which take on the symbolism of an umbilical cord.
The performer slowly rises onto all fours, their movements deliberate and exploratory, as if grappling with how to move forward. This moment of effort is reflected in the soundtrack where a spoken voice reflects on themes of transness – the moment of reckoning, a confrontation with the experience of being contained in a space, yet simultaneously navigating a multitude of transitions. The narrator talks of the dissolving borders of the body, aligning with the fluidity depicted on the screen whilst traversing themes of queer desires and fantasies. As the soundscape shifts to breathing and reverberating voices, the performer rises further, leaning forward, simultaneously struggling against and supported by the harness. This action becomes a testament to the strength of the body, negotiating various tensions, resistances, borders and boundaries - yet strong an deliberate in their exploratory movements, being strengthened and reshaped in this process.
The performer speaks, their voice multiplying and echoing, discussing submission. Their controlled, slow movements blur the boundaries between control and surrender. With great care, they remove the harness from over their head, their long red wig falling over their face as their body contracts and their breathing grows heavier. Finally the performer is able to rest.
Inti Guerrero: Inti reflected on the performance with appreciation, particularly for its exploration of the sensorial topography of the epidermis. He noted how it prompted a reconsideration of how we give way to our senses, highlighting the power of art to evoke synesthesia—a blending of sensory experiences. For Inti, the performance redefined the boundaries of the body, using props and the physical space to explore layers of sensation and perception.
He suggested there were moments when the spoken text might not have been necessary, as the performance itself provided a rich opportunity to think through the subdermal—those deeper, less tangible layers of experience beneath the skin.
The metallic sculptures stood out to him as striking elements of iconography. They reminded him of David Cronenberg’s film Crash, where characters are erotically drawn to car crashes. This association led Inti to reflect on the "industrial epidermis"—the shiny, polished surfaces of industrial creations and the layers of labor and materiality that create them. He found this an intriguing way to rethink the sensorial boundary, juxtaposing the perceived surface with the deeper, structural elements that underpin it.
Ramon Amaro: Ramon began his response with enthusiasm, describing the performance as “cool” and “awesome.” He reflected on the significance of trans theory and trans performance, emphasizing their unique ability to embody a “bodily refusal of associationism.” For Ramon, this refusal stems from necessity, as transness often demands the rearticulation of the self through affect, metamorphosis, and pain. He saw this as a beautiful journey—a journey of love that transforms vulnerability into a weapon for self-exploration and self-definition.
Ramon celebrated the power of this transformation, noting how it valorizes the act of using pain and exposure as tools for self-discovery. He observed that not all vulnerability needs to serve a cause or a broader purpose, remarking, “Sometimes you just want to be fucked.” This, he suggested, is about reclaiming agency and allowing oneself to unfold on one’s own terms—a process that is often misconstrued as a demand for recognition. Instead, he interpreted the performance as a gift:
"I’m doing this anyway, and you can come along and join me on this journey if you want. And if you don’t, I’m still good."
This, Ramon argued, is a moment of power—a power rooted in care and self-possession that those who abuse power can never achieve because they lack the capacity for care. He saw this expression of power as deeply self-referential, a reflection of the strength found in autonomy and authenticity.
Ramon marveled at the performer’s ability to expose a vulnerability that most people would only dare to share in private. He recognized the demand of sharing such rawness in a public practice and praised the performer for creating a space where this exposure became valuable and transformative. The performance, he noted, offered an atmosphere that invited the audience into this moment of self-revelation, allowing them to witness something that many can only dream of achieving.
He appreciated the way the performance integrated elements of philosophy, art, and thought, all transpiring seamlessly in the act of performance. For Ramon, it brought these disciplines full circle, demonstrating their interconnectedness in a way that was both profound and celebratory. He concluded by celebrating the performance for its ability to capture the transformative power of care and vulnerability, offering the audience an unforgettable glimpse into the strength and beauty of trans embodiment and self-expression.
Antonia Majaca: Antonia reflected on the performance with admiration, describing how deeply immersed she was in its themes and aesthetics. She was particularly drawn to the notion of suspension—both as a physical and conceptual state—and the possible associations it evoked. For her, the performance explored a balance between suspension and friction, where friction becomes a force that enables movement and progress.
Antonia elaborated on this dynamic, drawing from ideas in The Mushroom at the End of the World, which discusses friction as a generative concept. She described how friction, much like the contact point where a wheel meets the road, creates the conditions for motion and thought. This stands in contrast to paths that are predetermined, always leading to the same outcome, where friction enables alternative routes and possibilities. She found this tension reflected in the performance’s interplay of softness and fluidity—a paradoxical counterpoint to more rigid or predetermined frameworks.
She connected this to Paul B. Preciado’s concept of "queer topography," emphasizing the fluid spaces that resist stable ontological claims. Antonia saw the performance as a beautiful exploration of this space of suspension, a state where the focus is not on the destination but on the present moment. In this suspension, she observed, the performance carved out a paradoxical space of possibility, where fluidity and friction coexist.
In closing, Antonia praised the timing, structure, and dramaturgy of the performance, describing it as “gorgeous.” She appreciated how it evoked a genuine sense of suspense, not only through its form but also through its ability to engage the audience in the in-between spaces of movement and stillness, friction and fluidity.
AEROPONIC ACTS 2024 ~ Chameleon Orbit