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A performance that serves up a critical take on gender reveal rituals. Slicing through a curated menu of symbolic and edible cakes, it exposes the ties between Western gender construction and the systemic violence against trans* people and those who do not conform to the binary.
Layered Constructions & Digital Delicacies
Just like a carefully constructed cake, gender reveal parties layer on traditions that reinforce the gender binary. Our performance slices through these layers, exposing the rigid foundations beneath.
The 'CONSTRUCT CAKE' is our first course, a creation that materially represents the unyielding gender binary within Western culture. This piece invites you to reflect on how these hard-set norms are baked into our societal fabric, resisting change even as the world around them evolves. It’s a stark reminder of the societal construction of gender, served with a side of critical thought.
Next, you'll be served 'FEED ME, LIKE ME,' a confection that questions the digital footprint of the unborn. This virtual cake explores how "sharenting"—the practice of parents sharing their child's life online—extends the binary gender narrative into the digital world, assigning an identity even before the child takes their first breath. Here, you are invited to consider the aftertaste of these online overshares and their role in shaping a future identity.
Chef's Kiss
As the performance progresses, you'll sample the 'ULTRASOUND JELLO,' an edible treat with a kick of alcohol that stirs up the medicalised approach to gender. It’s a wobbly, jiggly exploration of how medical practices set the stage for binary thinking, often without questioning the ingredients.
Finally, we’ll present the 'CIS-TEMIC BABYCAKE,' a rich collaboration with the Cakethingzzz collective. This sculptural dessert is a biting critique of the systemic violence that categorizes and marginalizes gender expressions that are not fitting neatly into the binary. It’s a course that asks you to chew on the connections between gender, power, and capitalism—revealing the bitter layers that lie beneath the sweet surface.
The installation will be on display throughout the duration of DDW. The live performance will take place on the evenings of Saturday 19th, Sunday 20th, Friday 25th and Saturday 26th as part of the night programme.
About Andreas Berzdorf, Guillermo Cárdenas and Ottavia Ferraris ft. Cakethingzzz
Cakethingzzz is a collaboration by designers Marie Kolářová and Myeonga Seo exploring decorative cake making from taste to form, in experimental and innovative ways.
