SPEECH ACTS ( ALL-IN )
“SPEECH ACTS ( ALL-IN ) “ IS A PERFORMANCE IN TWO PARTS THAT DRAWS FROM FORMS OF LECTURE AND CLASSICAL WRESTLING TO EVOKE A CRITICAL, PERSONIFIED, AND SOMEWHAT BIZARRE SPECTACLE OF THE LIMITS OF LANGUAGE. BEGINNING WITH “EMBODIED WRITING “-- A PRIMARY METHOD OF PERFORMANCE FOR THE ARTIST -- LETTUCE CARVES A POETICS OUT OF THE ENIGMATIC LAWS OF PSYCHOLINGUISTICS, DRAWING UPON J. L. AUSTIN TO INSIST UPON THE WAYS IN WHICH WORDS DO THINGS --LANGUAGE ACTS, JUST AS WE DO. THE HOLDING AND SUSPENSION MARKED BY WAITING FOR WORDS TO ARRIVE, FOR SENTENCES TO FINISH, FOR THE CHALKBOARD TO BE TURNED, UNDERLINES THE ARTIST’S INTEREST IN WRESTLING -- AN ACT ALSO MARKED BY HOLDING, SUSPENSION, THE SPACES IN-BETWEEN -- WHICH REVEALS ITSELF IN A UNBEARABLE MATCH WITH A KNOTTED GARDEN HOSE TO THE TUNE OF “I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU “ BY THE FLAMINGOES. TO WRESTLE WITH LANGUAGE, WITH A GARDEN HOSE, WITH THE IRREDUCIBLE UNKNOT OF IT ALL, IS TO TRY TO HOLD IT : WE ARE SUSPENDED ; “SPEECH ACTS ( ALL-IN ) “ IMAGINES A BELONGING IN THIS SUSPENSION.