IODINE-131 Performance, 2019, “Life on an Island” Residency at Governors Island, NY hosted SVA MFA Fine Arts
The IODINE-131 performance is about my fight with thyroid cancer. The piece is inspired by the one-week isolation that followed my treatment with Radioactive Iodine. Due to the high dose of radioactivity that was given to me, I was not allowed to be around any person or animal in fear of contamination and health damage. The work is looking for a catharsis that may never be accomplished. During the performance, I was hand washing the hospital gowns that I was wearing at home during the one-week isolation. Instructions to patients receiving iodine-131 therapy were handed to the audience during the performance. The work aims to challenge the stereotypes around cancer, symptomless disease and invisible disability while raising awareness about the uprise of thyroid cancer in young people.
Documentation by Petros Lales
