We pride ourselves at Londonist in being able to bring you, sometimes before anyone else jumps on the bandwagon, the more exciting stuff to see in unexpected parts of London. Promenade performances in abandoned warehouses, improvised Eastern European theatre in old abbatoirs. Robots, dancers and wired up sci-fi violins in St Bart's Great Hall. Um... well, how about this? Glassbody: A performance installation in the atrium of Guy's Hospital that involves obstetrics ultrasound technology. Whoo!
As Guy's Hospital is rarely on the standard circuit for London's theatre-goers, we thought we'd mention this extraordinary performance today so you can get yourself organised and get over to this hospital in London Bridge before the run of this show is over. Taking introspective experimental cross-genre performance to its literal extremes, Glassbody by Athletes of the Heart is a solo performance that explores our fascination with what lies beneath our skin and our preoccupation with becoming transparent. X-ray and ultrasound technology has allowed us over time to overlay and blend the artist's impression of what goes on beneath the flesh with full-colour scientific photography.
Glassbody uses text-based performance, the setting of the atrium of Guy's Hospital and the aforementioned obstetrics ultrasound technology to bring to the public a show that promises to move "between testimony and reflection, emotion and medicine, flesh and technology." The production images on the website look intriguing and the bizarre reproductive toy had us alternately baffled and amused for a whole lunchbreak. If anyone can tell us how to play it and why the ovaries won't stay still, we'd love to hear from you.
Glassbody, Wednesday 7 to Saturday 24 March in the atrium of Guy's Hospital, London Bridge. There are two or three performances every day except Sundays, times vary. For more information, go to the Athletes of the Heart website here.
