When I Was A Monster

A performance about the artists experience in the aftermath of an accident. – Video Data Bank

“While When I Was a Monster conveys McGuires feelings about her own body after falling off a cliff, it also articulates the universal lack of satisfaction women feel when contemplating their physical selves, and encapsulates another part of McGuires project: the demonstration of the performative , grotesque aspects of femininity. Though she appears to be in pain, our sympathy hasnt been solicited, and the fact that we can observe such a private examination feels like an intrusion McGuire confronts the audience with her weakened, disfigured body and reminds us of our own fragility.” —Nicole Armour, “Alternate States,” Film Comment (July/August 2000)