Anxiety and specific mental health issues remain in the backdrop of this solo meditation about the effects of contemporary society on the human body. Lucy is an office worker at the soulless Insignia Assessment Management who, after a seemingly-innocent decision to take on the role of the company Green Officer, awakens to more natural rhythms of the world, and the deeply uncomfortable reality of office and urban life. There are a number of films and theatre shows that have dealt with this territory, particularly Todd Haynes’ film SAFE (which will have a visual art exhibition dedicated to its themes at HOME Manchester in November), and Grace’s addition to the discourse is both charming and alarming. Abigail Conway’s new work An Evening with Primrose - which presents an audience with the blooming of a single bud of primrose – also asks an audience what is missed when we live exclusively on company time. There are no simple solutions, and Grace’s GARDEN presents an ambivalent and open-ended ending – it is not as simple as throwing it all away and starting again, but it also might be. (BL)
GARDEN, Lucy Grace, 7-31 August. Pleasance Below. Please contact venue for accessibility: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/garden
More on Lucy Grace: http://www.thepublicreviews.com/five-fast-fringe-questions-with-lucy-grace-from-garden/
On caring for a Dracaena: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/dracaena/dracaena-houseplant-care.htm
On SAFE Exhibition at HOME Manchester: http://homemcr.org/exhibition/safe/
On Abigail Conway’s Evening with Primrose: http://abigailconway.org.uk/An-evening-with-Primrose
On Pigeons: http://www.pigeoncontrolresourcecentre.org/html/the-pigeon-in-history.html