Entwined/Distilled
ENTWINED/DISTILLED
An invited work presented as part of Hopes and Fears Assembly
Created and performed by Eris Thomas / Other Hearts
Entwined/Distilled is an intimate participatory performance by Eris Thomas in which memory is translated into a custom-made drink.
Set within a deconstructed living room, the work invites one participant at a time into conversation. Thomas asks each person to recall a favourite memory and to think about its sensory details: what it smelled like, tasted like, where it happened and what made it memorable.
From that conversation, Thomas creates a personalized micro-martini — with or without alcohol — shaped by the participant’s memory. Artist and guest then share a toast before the participant settles into the space with their drink.
The exchange is small and personal, but each encounter leaves a trace. Participants are invited to alter something in the room before they leave, gradually transforming the installation over the course of the performance.
Entwined/Distilled brings together performance, mixology, conversation and ritual to explore memory, intimacy and the ways we create meaning through sensory experience.
How it works
Remember — think of a favourite memory, something that still makes you smile or feel warm.
Share — talk with the artist about the memory and the sensory details connected to it.
Taste — receive a custom-made micro-martini inspired by the conversation, with or without alcohol.
Toast — share a brief toast with the artist.
Stay awhile — sit, drink and experience the space.
Leave a trace — before leaving, change something in the room as a sign that you were there.
Selected Presentation History
2024 — Nuit Blanche, Toronto
Presented by STO Union as an invited work within Hopes and Fears Assembly.
Eris Thomas — creator, performer and mixologist
Eris Thomas is a trans/nonbinary multidisciplinary live artist working as a director, dramaturg and performance maker, as well as in mixology and visual art. Their work is driven by an interest in hybrid performance forms, marginalized histories, the inventive use of bodies and objects, and the performance of memory.
Thomas is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Directing program and a founding member of Other Hearts.
Other Hearts
Other Hearts is a Toronto/Montreal-based performance collective made up of Yousef Kadoura, Sebastian Marziali, Silvae Mercedes and Eris Thomas.
The collective works across forms including puppetry, performance art, installation and experimental film. Its work explores accessibility, embodiment, alternative ways of being together, and the shifting relationship between artist, audience and environment.
Credits
Created and performed by Eris Thomas
Presented by STO Union as part of Hopes and Fears Assembly
Photos
Photos by David Irvine (for STO Union) and Nila Varzhevska (for Harbourfront)
Headshot of Eris Thomas by Andrew Pimento