Media Release: The Human Body Project during the Victoria Fringe (Aug 22-Sept 1) and at the Vancouver Fringe (Sept 5-15)

The Human Body Project

Off-fringe during the Victoria Fringe (Aug 22-Sept 1) and at the Vancouver Fringe (Sept 5-15)

Mother/artist/teacher Tasha Diamant embodies vulnerability by appearing naked and unscripted in performance and in public. Healing. Dissidence. Art.

WHAT: The Human Body Project playing off-fringe during the Victoria Fringe and at the Vancouver Fringe

WHEN: The Human Body Project 
Off-fringe during the Victoria Fringe (August 22-September 1)

The Human Body Project tickets from ticketrocket.org

Thurs Aug 22     7:15-8:30 pm

Fri      Aug 23     7:15-8:30pm

Sat     Aug 24     7:15-8:30 pm

Sun    Aug 25     7:15-8:30 pm

Wed   Aug 28     7:15-8:30 pm

Thurs Aug 29     7:15-8:30 pm

Fri      Aug 30     7:15-8:30 pm

Sat     Aug 31     7:15-8:30 pm  

Sun    Sept 1      7:15-8:30 pm

The Human Body Project at the Vancouver Fringe (September 5-15)

Thurs Sept 5      5 pm

Sun    Sept 8      6:10 pm

Mon   Sept 9      5 pm

Wed   Sept 11    7:45 pm

Sat     Sept 14    9:50 pm

Sun    Sept 15    4:50 pm

WHERE: 

Off-fringe during the Victoria Fringe

Discovery Coffee

Lounge/Side Bar

664 Discovery St.

Downtown Victoria

At the Vancouver Fringe

Venue 3

Studio 1398

3rd Floor

1398 Cartwright St.

Granville Island

TICKETS:

Off-fringe during the Victoria Fringe

$15 or $10 low income
or pay what you can

at the door

or through ticketrocket.org

ticketrocket hotline

250-590-6291

At the Vancouver Fringe

$10-$15

at the door

or through vancouverfringe.com

For Immediate Release           Contact: Tasha Diamant tashadiamanthuman@gmail.com

The Human Body Project is experiential theatre literally stripped to its most essential.

For more than seven years Tasha Diamant has been showing up naked and unscripted to share an intense experience of vulnerability with her audience. Citing her deep love for her children, she felt compelled to create a vehicle for change. She believes humanity will not survive unless we learn to choose love over power and ego.

"We cannot get to that place without viscerally understanding our mutual vulnerability—in our bodies, beyond intellect. It is not in our cultural script,” says Diamant.

Monday Mag has called it “the most relevant and powerful work at the fringe.” Diamant is an engaging and charismatic presence.

By showing up as defenceless as possible, in her naked 51-year-old body, Diamant helps us as individuals see and feel our connection to each other and the bigger global picture. Marginalization, decolonization, privilege, industrialization, environmental destruction, emotion, community, support, spirituality. These are some of the words that describe what comes up at a Human Body Project session.

People sometimes join Diamant by removing their clothing. Audience members can also choose to participate in discussion or using art materials.

Through her intention of holding a compassionate space and walking the talk of vulnerability, Diamant has created an improvisational, process-based environment where people can meet authentically or simply be an audience member.

Since January 2012 Diamant started holding Human Body Project Vulnerability Vigils where she stands naked in public at least once a month. In a gesture of gentleness, she and those who join her hold a large sign. The sign’s one word is chosen to evoke understanding of our mutual vulnerability as fragile human beings on a fragile planet.

Diamant is a married mother of two. She is a post-secondary instructor and has been a successful journalist and visual artist. She lives with her family in Victoria, BC.

Since starting the project in Lethbridge, AB in 2006, Diamant has documented her work, including usable photos and video links, on her comprehensive website: humanbodyproject.org

Almost all funding of The Human Body Project has come from Diamant’s family finances.

"We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive." Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The medium is the message.” Marshall McLuhan  

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi 

MORE INFORMATION, including usable photos and links to videos: humanbodyproject.org

QUICK ACCESS TO PHOTOS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55848990@N08/

QUICK ACCESS TO VIDEO LINKS: http://www.humanbodyproject.org/p/videos.html

MEDIA CONTACT: Tasha Diamant tashadiamanthuman@gmail.com

Human Body Project Vulnerability Vigil: Saturday, July 27, noon-1, corner of Government and Belleville, across from BC Legislature

"We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive." 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Please consider joining me or covering my work in the media as I embark on my 20th Human Body Project Vulnerability Vigil on Saturday, July 27, at noon across from the BC legislature in Victoria. 

Or keep it in mind for next time. I do Vulnerability Vigils at least once a month.

For a Vulnerability Vigil, I show up naked holding a large sign. The sign is to provide a buffer of gentleness for those who are deeply affronted by public nudity. I choose the word on the sign to serve as an opening to think about our mutual vulnerability. 

People who join me can be as dressed as they want to be.

I am VERY grateful, as you can imagine, when people join me.

When: July's vigil is on Saturday, July 27, noon-1 pm.

Location: Corner of Government and Belleville, across from the BC Legislature, Victoria

Last month's vigil was the first time I have been threatened with arrest. There have been other occasions when police have actually offered us support. Last month, Keith Jenkins and I put on our underpants to appease the officer and we continued to hold the vigil.

More about the Human Body Project:

The Human Body Project is not easy to categorize or describe. Here is a bit more explanation:

To "be the change" I have chosen to work in the area of vulnerability.

In a nutshell, I show up naked and unscripted to share an intense experience of vulnerability with my audience.

I do this in public and in performance.

I do the work because I believe humanity will not survive unless we choose love over power and ego and we cannot get to that place without viscerally dealing with our vulnerability.

I use my naked self and body to walk the talk. Also to be in solidarity with those who are most vulnerable, like children. Also to represent the vulnerability of us all at this crucial time when even those of us with privilege are facing the consequences of millennia of disrespect for the sacredness of life on this planet.

Upcoming Fringe shows:

I will also be presenting The Human Body Project off-fringe during the Victoria Fringe (August 22-September 1) and at the Vancouver Fringe (September 5-15).

Monday Mag called it "the most relevant and powerful work at the fringe."

I hope you will consider learning more about the Human Body Project, the vigils and the upcoming fringe shows by checking out my comprehensive website, including photos and videos: 

www.humanbodyproject.org

Also The Human Body Project Facebook page

And HumanBodyProj on twitter

June Vigil: CALGARY. Kicked off the BC legislature lawn. Putting on underpants.

After being kicked off the ledge lawn.

For the June 30 Vulnerability Vigil we set up on the BC legislature lawn. We have done other vigils there. The naked bike ride with hundreds of participants was there earlier in June. I use my naked body to share vulnerability but I am cognizant that not everyone chooses to see a naked person or people so we hold the sign and, when we're at the ledge, we stand in front of trees or the fence along the front of the building.

Yesterday, there was an aggro Sergeant at Arms who was having none of it.

He told us he would arrest us for disturbing the peace if we didn't leave the property. So we picked up our bags and left. When we were going to go across the lawn he got really mad so we walked along the sidewalk west of the ledge, crossed the street and set up on the sidewalk across from the ledge, where way more people could see our offending bums (either on the sidewalk or from the inner harbour walk below).

This video above shows the Sergeant at Arms after waving down a Vic PD guy and exhorting him to "burn a u-ie." The Vic PD guy approached me as a human being and looked rather beleaguered. It was my sense that he very much didn't want to arrest us but was in an awkward position what with the Sergeant at Arms getting all excited and whatnot.

In the video I am explaining to him about the project. I also told him we have done it at the ledge before and that we were standing in front of the fence, etc. He asked me quite kindly how long we usually stand there. I said about an hour. He asked about how long into the hour were we? I said about 10 minutes.

I felt bad for him. I asked him if he would like me to put on my underpants? He said, could you? He asked if the guy (Keith) was also naked? I said yes. He asked if Keith could put on his underpants too? Keith did.

The sign says CALGARY. My hometown, where last week both my childhood homes were under water. It's a New Orleans-Hurricane Katrina kind of wake-up call. One of my best friends who grew up there died under suicide-like circumstances earlier in June. Last year around the same time, a close relative from Calgary committed suicide. As someone who has extensive experience with emotional pain, I understood these women were in emotional pain and were unable to express their pain to people close to them or even satisfactorily to themselves. In my opinion, the culture we grew up in was not conducive to our emotional health. I feel sad about Calgary for a lot of reasons.