On the first floor of a disused department store in Nuremberg’s pedestrian zone, the four artists that make up Bastard Assignments are creating a living situation: a house. The house in question is inspired by the 20th century history of the Gravesend home of Bastard Assignments member Caitlin Rowley. There is a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom and a bedroom.
The artists live an artificially staged everyday life in this “open” house. As the day progresses the years wind forward from 1950 to the present day. The audience can watch as people, places and time periods slowly develop. The ordinary domestic rituals of eating, cleaning, washing, cooking juxtaposed with absurd choreographies that tell stories of love and sex; relationships, families and death.
Bastard Assignments are Timothy Cape, Edward Henderson, Caitlin Rowley and Josh Spear. They are composers and performers who make experimental music and performance. Together they have developed a way of working that combines concert music, movement, texts, video, improvisation and online projects. The four artists met in 2012 while studying music at Trinity Laban in London. They started by performing their own work while providing a platform for other artists in London. HOUSE is their first long duration performance.