Audio Tour: Lali Chetwynd

 Lali Chetwynd speaking about her live work at Tate Liverpool

NARRATOR: Recently Lali Chetwynd did a performance within the permanent collection galleries at Tate Liverpool. She used the character of Cousin Itt from the Addams family: that fellow covered head to toe in hair, with a hat and glasses. Despite the fact that his speech sounded like squeaks, he was always a debonair and confident character.

LALI CHETWYND: I was wanting to do something that was educational, but update it or retranslate it. I wanted to make it ludicrous. And Cousin Itt was a spokesperson, he was meant to research the history of animals in art. And Cousin Itt was doing a tour of the galleries, an audio tour of each painting that was relevant to his talk. It was very informative, but of course he only spoke in squeaks , and then I, standing next to him, would translate his pithy point. (amused tone) He could, possibly, be useful to the Tate, I think, in the Education Department in the future.

[more of sound file—using parts with “monkeys!” clearly articulated, as well as “Liverpool”]

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