sticky honey, itchy bugs

—

in Collaborations, confluence, Dance, Exhibition, Theatre

A Confluence production. Confluence is an artist collective founded by Grace Sun and Zoë Guthrie, dedicated to exploring the intersection between creative technology and dance through film and theatrical productions, interactive exhibitions and educational and community arts initiatives. @confluence.to

Produced By	Confluence
Year	2025 –
Role	Producer and Projection Designer
Medium	Improvised contemporary dance, Interactive projections created in TouchDesigner
Presented at	Emergence Exhibition (May 2025)

Description

“sticky honey, itchy bugs” is a performance art piece that explores the maladaptive ways memory can be stored, felt, and processed within the body.

some memories are veiled over with honey;

a sweet translucent shield protecting me.

covering my eyes, my ears, my skin.

and it softens me, how i can’t see clearly,

how it slowly pours over my mind.

moving through honey,

memories seep into my skin.

pulling me in,

always pulling me in.

other memories are frayed;

fuzzy at the edges

glitching in and out

as I float on by

pull me out of body,

out of body,

out of mind,

up, up and away

“sticky honey, itchy bugs” explores the maladaptive ways people feel, store and process memories when facing trauma and mental health struggles. From rumination to dissociation, the brain has creative ways of coping and protecting when facing danger, and these states continue to affect and distort even as danger has passed.

Using interactive projections, “sticky honey, itchy bugs” draws upon the artists’ personal experiences to translate rumination and dissociation into visual and tangible shared experiences. During the performance, a dancer interacts and moves through the different settings, representing the realities and struggles of living life within these states. She starts trapped behind a curtain, a “veil” of sorts, illustrating the feeling of a memory consuming her. It distorts her reality and inner world. The dancer moves in front of the veil, confronting this perception of reality. Remnants of her memory follow her, acting as a distorted shadow or mirror. When she turns away, she is taking control and coming back to her reality- exploring the question, “do I control this state or does it control me?”

As the artists invite the audience to move through this intimate experience of their inner world, viewers are encouraged to reflect: how do memories feel in your own body?

Credits