Shot on 8mm and narrated in my voice, this short film is a collaboration between myself and photographer/filmmaker Jonny Kaye. The work features me moving through a variety of public and liminal spaces dressed as a latex clown - strange, erotic, and out of place.

My voice anchors the film: a spoken reflection on the clown as an archetype of exhibition, submission, artifice and sincerity. I attempt to draw out the tension between humiliation and play, control and vulnerability, a reminder that the clown’s stage is never just a performance - it’s a confession, a fantasy, and a kind of offering.

Here are my words transcribed:

“The clown has always resonated with me. In its most superficial form, I’m drawn in by the kitchiness of the eerie, almost tragic portraits of the midcentury American clown. The romance and tragedy of the French pierrots and harlequins. The colorful effervescence of the classic clown with childlike innocence and playfulness, clinging dutifully to a youthful thread that most of us have let go of.

The Clown exaggerates and epitomizes our most human experiences - stretches our truths to the point of poignant fiction.

And of course, a clown does not exist without an audience. She humiliates herself, degrades herself, eagerly pushes her boundaries, plays the role of the naive fool, all for the pleasure of her spectators. An exhibitionist like me can appreciate that.

I don't view the Clown as a mask. I view it as a stage. One on which I exhibit in bright neon my deepest truths, my desires, my fantasies, my pain to you, the audience. Your pleasure is my pleasure.”

This piece sits at the intersection of performance art, fetish, and gentle public disruption.

Watch Mask Off here.