Madison Nybog

Sweet Flesh in Collaboration with Mayne Bautista

Exploring the notion of what it means to overcome traditional conventions and what it feels like to be an outcast in this world

“Using pomegranates as a symbol for unending love and devotion, we wanted this performance to elicit feelings of healing, melancholy, and interconnectedness with one another. Pomegranates symbolize the human experience, we all want to be loved by someone else, and in the process, we lose ourselves by giving everything we have to the one we love the most. Just as we are willing to offer everything we have to get the person of our dreams, cutting a pomegranate into pieces is a similar devotional way of life. You must not rush, as doing so will crush the seeds in the inside, leaving you with only the liquid that remains. It takes patience and a soft hand, but the sweet seeds beneath the skin will be worth it.Though our bodies are different, through shared experiences, we become one. Our stories intersect, linking us together for life, whether by choice, by chance, or by regret. A single interaction with someone can affect the trajectory of our lives, sometimes without our knowledge. The same rule applies when we deal with others. We are the center of the chaos & around us lies the mess we’ve created, the mess that others have discarded onto us.”