BRE LEMBITZ

"ShameEater"- I got up on stilts and participated in Art Outside as a ShameEater. We led people through a short script that involved taking a cracker, dipping their finger into red "ink" (raspberry jam) and then feeding it to me.
The idea came from Brene Brown's books on vulnerability and shame, and her discussion that once you call out shame, it no longer has any power. So I figured through this process, people would be given the opportunity to put a name to their shame and thus render it harmless.

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Shame and the silence surrounding it is such a powerful emotion that simply giving voice to it is an incredibly powerful act.

What I hadn't taken into account was the impact the rest of the process would have on people. Due to the fact that we performed during the day before anyone was drinking heavily; caught people off guard because of their preconceived notions of levity and stilt walkers; and I abstained from giving anyone eye contact until the moment of shame eating; the piece had an even more powerful depth than I had originally considered. Many people left in happy tears of gratitude.