In June 2019, the SLG hosted the London premiere of ECZEMA!, an absurdist performance written and directed by interdisciplinary writer Maria Fusco.
Here, between 7 September – 5 October 2020, we revisited the 30 minute performance, which was made available to listen to in full.
This dark comedy explores eczema, a skin disease affecting an estimated 15 million people in the UK, including Fusco herself.
The score was composed by organist John Harris, using motion-capture to translate scratching gestures into music, and was performed live by Harris and actor Rhodri Meilir.
Although the full audio recording was only made temporarily available, see below for a filmed excerpt from the SLG performance and for photographs of the event.
ABOUT
ECZEMA! was originally commissioned by National Theatre Wales in 2018 to celebrate 70 years of the NHS. The commission was produced by curator Phoebe Roberts. The recording was published as a limited edition vinyl by Accidental Editions and is available for purchase on Accidental Records.
The London premiere of ECZEMA! was supported by Wellcome Trust as part of a public engagement project looking at eczema led by Professor Sinéad Langan (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine).
BIOGRAPHY
Maria Fusco is a Belfast-born writer based in Glasgow and Professor of Interdisciplinary Writing at the University of Dundee. She writes fiction, critical and theoretical texts and edits publications. Her work is published internationally and translated into ten languages, She has been Writer-in-Residence at Lisbon Architecture Triennale, Kadist Art Foundation, Paris and Whitechapel Gallery, London. Recent works include Give Up Art (2018), Legend of the Necessary Dreamer (2017) and Master Rock (2015). www.mariafusco.net
John Harris is a composer, organist, Chief Executive of the contemporary music Red Note Ensemble in Scotland and Festival Director of New Music Dublin in Ireland. His award-winning composing work includes operas, chamber music, theatre music and music for film, including work for Scottish Opera, the Sound Festival Aberdeen, Tapestry Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Channel 4, including performances in Shanghai, Berlin, Toronto, and across the UK. He lives in Edinburgh.
Rhodri Meilir is a Welsh actor. He was educated at Ysgol Maes Garmon, Mold, and won a scholarship to study Drama at Aberystwyth University. In 2014, he was awarded a Fellowship of the University. A fluent Welsh speaker, Rhodri has worked extensively in Theatre, Film and Television productions and can be heard in several BBC Radio 4 plays. Twice nominated as Best Actor by BAFTA Cymru, he was named the Best Actor in a Studio Production at The Manchester Theatre Awards in 2018. Rhodri lives in Cardiff.