The act of human
suspension is relatively simple; take one man, several meat hooks,
and a winch. Pierce the subject's flesh with meat hooks, the kind
with which your local butcher probably hoists his prize hog, and
winch the subject up using said hooks. Et voilà! One suspended
human.
On Tender Hooks
follows the story of Damien, an actor and freak-show performer whose
talents include glass eating, fire breathing and hammering a nail
into his nose (which makes for one hell of a CV!), on his first human
suspension. Being quite well acquainted with such curious art forms,
Damien felt the need to confront human suspension head on.
Although the idea of
being suspended by a series of meat hooks sounds like a concept for a
torture sequence in a rather sadistic horror, On Tender Hooks
is one of the many documentary shorts (as in short documentaries, not
the kind of thing David Attenborough might wear on holiday) shown at
Raindance Film Festival. Filmed, produced and edited by Kate Shenton,
On Tender Hooks provides a brief glimpse into the world of
human suspension, documenting Damien's preparation and, ultimately,
suspension. Shenton's guerilla, fly-on-the-wall style documentary
captures a real and natural-feeling insight into this hitherto unseen
world that, on the surface, seems relatively twisted. However,
Shenton aims to show the more human and 'cuddly' side of suspension,
the people involved and it's link to spiritual connotations.
Whilst it may not be
everybody's cup of tea (and certainly, I'd find a cup of tea
immeasurably preferable to being hung from hooks, but hey; I'm like
that!), some claim that it is in fact quite a 'peaceful' experience,
a form of natural adrenaline high, and a way of demonstrating that we
are more than just our bodies; a literal case of mind over matter. I
don't think this was quite what Descartes had in mind when he wrote
his views on the mind/body dichotomy, but it's intriguing
nonetheless!
Having been completely
independently funded and produced, On Tender Hooks is a
remarkable piece of cinematography, and with the view to make a
feature length piece on suspension, as well as embarking on her own
hook-based experience, Shenton has well and truly invested herself
into this project. Whilst I may not be too enamoured on the idea of
hooks being shoved into one's person, I am interested to see where
this project goes and admire both she and Damien for their spirit in
this brilliantly mad endeavour!
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