Pollution is everywhere.
It’s in our air, our water, the food we eat, and the technology we buy. We never consented to this – and yet, like a predator, it invades our bodies, seeping its way into every crack and corner of our lives; our happiness; and our health. Our bodies deserve better than this.
A recent study into the effect of microplastics on the human body had to be abandoned. Why? Because they couldn’t find a control group.
In fact, recent studies have shown the “average person ingests a credit card’s worth of plastic per week.” – No Plastic in Nature: Assessing Plastic Ingestion from Nature to People prepared by Dalberg, based on a study commissioned by WWF.
The effects of pollution on the body are life-threatening and imminent, and the worst part is – there’s no escaping it. Not unless something changes, and fast.
Slick was developed as a deep-dive into the prevalence of pollutants in our everyday lives – the ones we expect, the ones we don’t, and the ones we love too much to let go. Mingling horror, satire, spoken word, and dance – it’s an expression of the human condition in the face of the largest health threat we have ever faced. It’s a call to action, an open letter to corporations, and a place of defiance. The story of our polluted bodies has never been so ready to be told.
Slick is a play in three acts –
Slick. It’s life as we know it – right?
Slick, The Ads. What are we really buying into?
Slick, It’s Sexy. And it’s the most toxic relationship we’ve ever been in…
Sustainability:
Community is at the heart of every project Tenderfoot undertake – from local people to local businesses. As a result, the entirety of Slick was filmed within an 11 mile radius of Ormskirk Just 0.006 tonnes of CO2e in travel emissions, that’s less than a 500g pack of beef mince!
Most of Slick was shot using natural light, with no additional lighting equipment required. For the coloured studio lights, we used LED lamps that are a more durable, energy efficient, and versatile lighting option. The lights were on for filming, and powered down when not in use to minimise energy usage. Unlike real oil, the Goo in Slick is lovingly made from natural and biodegradable ingredients.
Costumes:
The costumes in Slick were designed by Kate-Elizabeth Carey, using Tenderfoot’s sustainable design principles:
- Experiment – this project, Kate experimented with constructing skirts from scraps of discarded material.
- Upcycle – the white dresses featured during the beach scenes were hand-made and sewn from discarded bed sheets.
- Repurpose – many of the costumes in Slick have been used before in our previous projects.
Audience Reviews:
“Excellent, witty and deep”
“Slick is as much a call to action as it is a piece of art”
“Tenderfoot’s media debut provides a feast of introspection; an exploration of the complexities of modern life and the steady corruption of the natural world. The pervasiveness of pollution is highlighted through uncomfortable closeness, exquisite physicality, and voyeuristic intimacy.”
Tenderfoot Theatre CIC an eco-theatre company and sustainable arts organisation who seek to make work at the intersection of sustainability and creativity. As a collaborative group of queer and female-lead researchers, theatre-makers, designers, and writers, Tenderfoot create work that explores climate change and sustainability in a way that is optimistic, full of energy, and sustainably made at every stage of the process.
