Descent into (In)Decency

Imperial Time

Imperial time marks space

Diagonal Time

Queer time runs diagonal to imperial time.

Thames (River Time)

River time moves freely

"Descent into Indecency" is a site-specific walking performance that critiques the societal notion of time as linear and fixed. By disrupting the symbolic power of the Greenwich Prime Meridian, a marker of imperial time, the performance utilizes "river, queer or emergent time" as a mode of travel that emphasizes fluidity, disruption, and pleasure. The performance incorporates elements of psychogeography and feminist performance art to challenge the constructed nature of space and time, highlighting the power dynamics present within these constructs. Through a series of actions, including costume changes, public undressing, and an offering to the river, the performer and audience reclaim time from the "spectacular" and "imperial" forces that seek to control it. The text emphasizes the idea that reclaiming time involves both taking it back and offering it out again, implying a continuous process of resistance and transformation.