Sexual mysticism, medical science, cyber fantasy, tribal rituals, modern primitivism and anti-religion all play a part in the scenarios played out in the performances by Nurses and Needles, a fetishistic, S & M-inspired art theatre group from Brussels, in Belgium.

My culturo-sexologist’s field trip started when I met the five piece tribe at a rendezvous on the outskirts of the capital to discuss the concepts behind their work, their expressions of pleasure and pain, their relationship to hardcore and symbolic sexuality, body manipulation, their interface with radical aesthetics and a whole load of other usual Monday night topics.

Sitting around a pentagram-style table with Sylvie (Arkel), Georges (Napalm), Peter (Cosmopouf), Ines (Schnuse), and Stephane (Stef DasBoot) you could feel this potent mix of pleasure and pain materialised. This was no theatre, no stage, no costumes, no real props (except the caged head sculptures moulded by the artistic hands of Ines), no performance, but the dialogues provoked an atmosphere of delicious tension as I asked each in turn to explain their approach and inspirations to their art. Each expounded on his or her own inner provocation and stimulation. These ranged from George’s obsession with Christ, the crown of piercing thorns, the andromorphic body changes, the androgenetic enhancement, the punishment for sub-conscious transgression, the mirroring of Christ’s dualistic sensations of pleasure and pain during the crucifixion; to Stephane’s S & M fetishistic fantasies and realities nourished by the penetration of the needles, dominatrix roles of the nurses as their roles transmogrify and the shifting collage of sensations at his nerve endings as the body manipulations intensify. In between, my own sensations are teased with stories of modern primitive style body adornment, inflicted and caressed by angels as this fantastic cocktail of sexual, mystical, scientific and futuristic manifestations begin to transpersonalise my being.

Sylvie is the "medic" – the principal performing nurse. She is a professional tattoo, piercing, scarification and other body modification techniques artist. She is driven by the need to represent her fine arts training in body sculpture onto real bodies. She administers the medical instruments with a passion. She loves to give and take the pain/ pleasure. The group find it difficult to make a clear distinction between the two. They readily admit that the thresholds of both are continuously expanding. Ines, her nurse side-kick is responsible for the costumes and the aesthetic presentation. Peter is the obvious technophile, with his love of the cyber fantastic and interest in the linking of robotics with art, which although not yet part of the show could be a future addition, resources permitting. The visual effects are a major turn on for each of the artists. The costumes and lighting and role playing provide the fetishistic overtone.

So what are their performances all about? They have worked with Ron Athey (an article on him appeared in Fringecore 2), but they portray little of Athey’s ritual blood letting scenes and/or the political undertones or audience participation (they actually have a barrier between them and the audience not just because of the blood, fire and other fluids, but it otherwise disturbs their concentration and enjoyment).

The happening starts with two demons representing fire and water. They are complementary yet contradictory representing the macabre – a death form in a world of fantasy. To bring them into the real world, their bodies are revived and revitalised by the nurses who perform body modification acts on them with needles, etc. Their bodies are manipulated in order to exorcise the demons. The nurses live in the real world and at this stage of the happening, the difference between the two worlds is signified. Here we find reflections of reason: madness; science versus the mythical. The demons transcend through purgatory, resembling zombies, attack again, but are suppressed by the nurses until they are materialised.
At this point a role transformation takes place, metamorphosing the nurses into demons. This is followed by a scene of the Golgotta, each group fighting to dominate the other, a fetishistic orgy of symbolic sexuality. At which point there is little doubt that many of the audience are dripping with excitement and rapture. In the final scene, the nurses are rebirthed/resurrected as angels, an act full of religio-sexual connotations. However, in principle this show is not about material (physical) sex, but fetishised fantasy.

Despite all the piercings, needles and other instruments, there is surprisingly little blood. A little is shed during the scarification acts.

The music for the performances is especially composed for each scene. It is loosely speaking, dark ambient , which is mixed live on stage, each performer choosing his or own preferred piece of music, most suited to their character.

Nurses and Needles perform every other month or so at theatres around Europe and Fringecore will keep you up to date or check out their web site at: http://nan.allmansland.com/ .
Each of the performers also do solo performances or in smaller groups of two and three.

To think that this whole concept was born out of a birthday surprise present for Stephane DasBoot a few years ago, when the other members of the now Nurses and Needles group decided to give him a fully acted out fetishistic pain and pleasure trip.

"Nurses & Needles": From Ritual to Clinical Body Art
Pervy piercing performance powered by endorphins

Original Show: 1997 Sylvie Anneet, Arkel Piercing, et al. in Belgium

http://www.arkel.be/nl/013/index.html