In the performance, Melati walks into the space towards the blocks of butter placed on the dance carpet that was prepared earlier. She stands with her back towards the audience, then turns to the front and step on the butter blocks. She starts to dance and let herself fall; she tries to stand up. This process repeats until she eventually loses her energy. Taking off her shows, she stands up slowly and leaves the space.

Melati was inspired by the concept of 'time', especially how the human body relates to its biological, psychological and physical 'time'. She believes that everything happening in this world does not stop, even when one is dead. What one can do to deal with it is to adjust our body to the concept of 'time', whether it is physical or biological. The artist was interested in a specific moment in time, a moment when her body relates to a specific delicate moment - the moment before she falls down. This moment is where all her consciousness controls her body, but at the same time, the risks are unpredictable. She might lose control, however, what was important to her was the will to get up again. One's perception of pain is produced within their education and cultural environment, hence Melati believes that everybody perceives actions and images of this work in many different ways according to their individual backgrounds.

Original set of objects from the first performance at Hebbel Theatre, Berlin, Germany, 2000.

MS_0449

Exergie - Butter Dance