You Can’t Un-See Something, an event by artist and ARC researcher Christopher Mahon, took place at the Lambert Puppet Theatre in Monkstown on 20 April 2016.

The event featured Hannah Callan and Tatiana Rowen, in a performance of choreographed sculpture.

The starting point for this work was an image taken at the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art in Cairo after requesting special permission for access from the Minister of Culture. Although never officially declared closed the museum was shut for three years following the revolution of 2011. Mahon was interested in the hidden space occupied by the works in the museum, and in the processes through which object in museum collections are remembered.

You Can’t Un-See Something incorporated three stone masks carved by Mahon and based on attempts to remake an object he first created while living in Cairo. The carved stone masks were carried by the two performers, displayed on the stage and moved around the auditorium, before coming to rest in specially-constructed stands, which were illuminated in accordance with a scripted lighting sequence.

Christopher Mahon, carved stone mask.

Audience members at You Can’t Un-See Something, choreographed sculpture by artist and ARC researcher Christopher Mahon. Lambert Puppet Theatre, Monkstown, Dublin, 20 April 2016.

Audience at You Can’t Un-See Something

Reception following performance, Lambert Puppet Theatre

Credits and Acknowledgements

This work was produced with the assistance of Derek Larkin (technical guidance and production) and Kathleen Moroney at IADT (production and guidance), Eavan Aiken (sound), Liam Lambert (production design and sound mixing) and Jason Lambert (lighting design), Daniel Bermingham (curatorial and organisational assistance), Caroline Campbell (video documentation) and Julie Williams (quantum healer).

Thanks also to Teresa Gillespie and Sibyl Montague.

Rehearsals for You Can’t Un-See Something were documented in the Irish Times Image of the Day.