Lucid-loucampbell

Heading: Text Reads: Lou Campbell (in pink drawn font). Background image is a moonlit landscape with the silhouette of grass, and bushes bordering a swirl of green Northern Lights.

"Why Do Saints Have to Suffer?"

By Lou Campbell

Filmed conceptual drag performance

"Why Do Saints Have to Suffer?" is a filmed drag exploration of Joan of Arc, reimagined as a Trans Saint. The piece explores similar ideas and themes as a separate project Lou is currently writing that will become a three part stage play entitled The Holy Ones. The piece is about Trans and Gender non-conforming saints and religious figures across several historic periods. For LUCID, Lou tried out costume design and creation for the first time.

Concept and co-design: Lou Campbell

Mentorship and co-design: Diego Cavedan

Makeup artist: Chris Cochrane

Filming, video direction and editing: Tyler Simmonds

Lighting: Matt Downey

Video Description

Music Video featuring Lou Campbell's work "Why Do Saints Have To Suffer?". Video begins with the image of moonlit ocean waves. Lou's voice can be heard reciting the following: "They say your heart wouldn't burn, so it was thrown into the river sien, along with your ashes, which were carried out on the current. By the time you made it out to sea, you woke up here in the afterlife. Welcome Joan to eternity. Find your place in it, show the earthly realm who you really are". As the poem ends, the music comes up and the image fades to Lou's face in their Joan costume as they begin to lip sync to Joan of Arc On The Dance Floor by Aly & AJ against a black wall. When the song ends the screen goes black and Lou's voice is heard and says, "They say a saint has to suffer for their faith, even die for it. Joan had faith that the truth of who they were was what God wanted for them." The text on the black screen reads: ["For nothing in the world will I swear not to arm myself and wear a man's dress" - Joan of Arc, The Trial 1431.] The end of the video is a black screen with white text that reads: [Why Do Saints Have to Suffer?]

Lou Campbell wears a crown with nine foot-long points radiating outwards in the shape of a rainbow. They hold a sword out in front of them. Their outfit includes a ruffled collar, shoulder plates and a chest plate. Under the armour is a white lace robe.

Lou is pictured in their Joan-of-arc attire this time they stand further from the camera and hold their sword down at their side. They are mid-speech. Lou wears healed platform shoes. The backdrop is a black room with two spots of corner lighting.

Heading Text Reads: Inspiration (in blue drawn font) the text is on a blue-black spotted backdrop. There is a hand holding open a door to the right of the image.

Black and white image of Sybil Thorndike with her hands together in a prayer position. She wears armour with arm plates, winged shoulder plates and a belt with many cotes of arms. Sybil looks above the camera her face half in light, half in shadow.

Sybil Thorndike, Lou’s great grandmother, as Joan. She was the first woman to play her in the George Bernard Shaw version of the play in 1923. Joan of Arc has always played a role in Lou’s family lore.

The Book Cover for Leslie Feinberg's Trans Gender Warriors. Text reads: Twenty-Fifth Anniversary: Trans Gender Warriors: Making history from Joan of Arc to Marsha P. Johnson and Beyond: Leslie Feinberg: author of Stone Butch Blues (on a red backdrop).

“Transgender Warriors” by Leslie Feinberg was the starting source of research and inspiration for The Holy Ones.

Costume Sketch in watercolour by Diego Cavedon Dias. Text reads: Lou Campbell. Drawing of a person with a moustache wearing a gold crown, a turtle neck collar & a gold plated shoulder & breast plate on top of a wide-sleeved one-piece with platform heels.

The original first sketch for the costume for Why do Saints Have to Suffer? by Diego Cavedon

Bio

Lou Campbell (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, NS. Their practice traverses many mediums including performance, clown, stand-up, drag, poetry, and sound art. They create work that unpacks the inner workings of their own experiences, usually manifesting in the open sharing of mortifying past mistakes. They also co-run a cross-province collective based in Toronto and Halifax called Probably Theatre. This collective creates performance work devised from poetry, and runs events and exhibitions that facilitate the creation of new work by other artists. In their spare time they like to swim, craft, collage, and watch terrible teen television.

Heading Text Reads: What Kind Of Future Do You Dream Of? (in pink drawn font) the text is on a blue-black spotted backdrop with a blue swirl of northern lights. There is a white bird mid-flight in the left of the image.

Footer image is a moonlit landscape with the silhouette of grass, and hills bordering a light grean-blue central sparkling clearing.

Using Format