CAVE

Performed at Somerset House, London and La Becque, Switzerland in 2020

Cave, performed at La Becque, Switzerland, 2020

"The opening can be hard to find
A thin slash
barefaced cliff face
Turn sideways to enter
Abrasive crunch of pebbles, a crude ingress
Adjust to settle, fingertips rasping on your rough inner lining
to steady on the movable ground”

- Cave, 2020 - present

There is a tidal cave on the Jurassic coast in South West England. It is a site of retreat and refuge for just three hours, before it is again submerged by the sea. A place of dark, wet sanctuary, it is explored as a character, as a lover. Cave recalls Peake's encounters with the cave and the immersion that it can offer to her.

Cave was first performed at Somerset house in January 2020, during an evening of readings curated by Peake and as part of 'HYPER FUNCTIONAL, ULTRA HEALTHY,’ a programme of six specially commissioned artworks exploring the concept and practice of wellness.

In September 2020, Peake performed the work at La Becque in Switzerland, as part of 'Modern Nature: An Homage to Derek Jarman, Part II.'  This three-year programme invited international artists to engage with a garden developed at La Becque, inspired by the life and work of British filmmaker, activist, artist and activist Derek Jarman (1942-1994). Part II focused on the notion of “queering nature”, with Cave standing as part of a programme of sculptures, readings, screenings and musical performances, considering the symbiotic relationships between the natural world and people as individuals.