Pepper’s Ghost & the Mark

As part of The Centre for the Less Good Idea's residency at the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain.

Named after John Henry Pepper who popularised it in 1862, the Pepper’s Ghost is a 19th-century theatrical illusion technique that uses a half-silvered mirror and lighting techniques to bring forth ghosts and apparitions on stage. Here, visual artists Marcus Neustetter and Pélagie Gbaguidi engage the Pepper’s Ghost using live digital and physical drawing techniques respectively. Joined by Pantsula dancer and choreographer Vusi Mdoyi, the collaborative performance becomes a process of responsive mark-making, disrupted and expanded upon through the use of the body. Ultimately, the three artists’ commune and collaborate inside the Pepper’s Ghost to explore, among other things, rite, ritual and ancestry. This public exploration is just another step towards finding a physical form for the relationship between these three artists.

Performers | Angelo Moustapha, Vusi Mdoyi, Pélagie Gbaguidi & Marcus Neustetter
Footnoter | Bronwyn Lace