Alex Billingham’s queer melodrama reenacts the mythical battle between human, deity and the sea. Over two thousand years ago the Roman Emperor Caligula declared war on Neptune, God of the ocean. Now it’s time for an ultra-glam rematch.
Billingham uses experimental theatre and film to explore genderqueer, trans and disabled experience. In Fishwives Revenge, the sea and its tides symbolise the intersectional spaces of Billingham’s own identity and the continually changing landscape of the artist’s body.
Fishwives Revenge reflects my experiences of existing with a fluid body; my everyday normal shifts from second-to-second depending on a thousand micro factors. In this performance every little defect gets respect. My disability and queerness sit beside me in the work, ever present but never defining me.
Alex Billingham
Performance timings
10.00: Billingham begins battle with the ocean on Porthmeor beach
16.30: The artist returns to Porthmeor beach to apologise to the ocean for her earlier actions
This work is part of We Are Invisible We Are Visible which marks the 102nd anniversary of the 1st International Dada Exhibition. Thirty-one d/Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent artists are staging interventions at thirty Plus Tate museums and galleries across the UK. Dada was an art movement formed in response to the horror and recklessness of the First World War.
We Are Invisible We Are Visible channels the defiant and absurdist spirit of the Dada movement, purposefully provoking visitors to reflect on the societal barriers that continue to restrict and exclude disabled people today.
Tate St Ives is located on Porthmeor Beach. There is a ramp up to the gallery entrance alongside stairs with a handrail.
There are lifts to all Levels of the gallery, or alternatively you can take the stairs.
- Accessible and standard toilets are on Level 3, next to Gallery 6.
- A Changing Places toilet is on Level 3, next to Gallery 1.
- Ear defenders can be borrowed from the information desk.
To help plan your visit to Tate St Ives, have a look at our visual story. It includes photographs and information of what you can expect from a visit to the gallery.
For more information before your visit:
- Email visiting.stives@tate.org.uk
- Call +44 (0)173 679 6226
