Dayna McLeod (born 1972) is a

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

based

performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

and

video artist Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting. ...

whose work often includes topics of feminism, queer identity, and sexuality. She has a Diploma in Sculpture from the

Alberta College of Art and Design The Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts) is a public art university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that operates four academic schools. The institution originated from the art departmen ...

and an M.F.A. in Open Media from

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

. She is currently competing a Ph.D in Humanities at The Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture at

Career

A regular performer at Montreal's Kiss My Cabaret, Meow Mix, Le Boudoir, and

Edgy Women The Edgy Women Festival (also referred to as Edgy Redux, Femmes Au-delà or Women from the Edge) was an annual festival of "short, highly physical works by women, often characterized by a transdisciplinary approach and politicized content." which ...

Festival, McLeod's work utilizes performance-based, remix and cabaret and practices. She has performed in ten annual editions of the

Festival and her work has been shown internationally. One of her notable works was her "cougar for a year" project, in which she dressed in animal print from June 1, 2012, to June 1, 2013. "Cougar for a year" won

La Centrale La Centrale galerie Powerhouse is an artist-run space in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, founded in 1973. For decades, it was known as the city's only feminist art gallery. History The idea for the gallery grew out of a Consciousness raising, conscio ...

's 2014 Prix Powerhouse for her radical honesty and courage in the face of normalization in our culture. Dayna has also won numerous other awards, and has received funding for video projects from the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

and the

Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) is a public agency founded in 1994 by the government of Quebec. CALQ offers support and funding for art projects in the performing arts, multidisciplinary arts, circus arts, visual arts, med ...

. Her body often figures prominently in her performances, such as ''Uterine Concert Hall'' an in-situ, sound performance where audience members were invited to listen through her uterus via stethoscope to music and soundscapes played from a speaker inserted into her vagina, and ''Cougar For a Year'' in which she wore animal print clothing for an entire year, 24/7 to " ocuson a public examination of the female body, especially an older woman’s body in a cultural space where this body has somehow become public property ripe for commentary". McLeod is also a video maker, utilizing performance-based practices where she performs directly for the camera, often combining this technique with remix practices, such as in ''Ultimate SUB Ultimate DOM: Maria Von Trapp & Mary Poppins'' and ''That's Right Diana Barry- You Needed Me''.

Works

Performance Art * 2016 - Uterine Concert Hall, Darling Foundry * 2016 - What’s in the Box?, La Chapelle Theatre, Montreal * 2015 - Santa’s Wife and The Baby Dyke,

Centaur Theatre The Centaur Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Montreal, Quebec. It was co-founded in 1969 by Maurice Podbrey along with The Centaur Foundation for the Performing Arts. It currently has Eda Holmes as the Artistic and Executive Director, ...

, Montreal * 2015 - Live For Menopause * 2014 - Bronze Cowboy * 2012 - Cougar For a Year * 2009 - AV Machine collaboration with Alexis O’Hara * 2008 - Come Shred My Heart * 2007 - Monarchy Mama * 2007 - Car Wash!,

, Montreal * 2004 - Sex Accidents and Home Repair,

Studio 303 A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design, ...

, Montreal * 2004 - The One: a collaboration, collaboration with Jackie Gallant,

, Montreal * 2003 - Feminism: Your body is revolting * 2001 - Tales From the Canadian Beaver trilogy (Oh Canada, Show us Your Beaver; Beaver Fever; Santa Beaver) Videos * 2015 - Undercover Lesbian SUPERCUT (Rizzoli & Isles S1.E6) * 2015 - Older Woman Gentlemanly Dating with a Lesbian Ending SUPERCUT (Psych S5.E4) * 2015 - Class Action Baby Supercut (The Good Wife S1.E17) * 2014 - The Woman Who Paints in Blood Anti-Aging SUPERCUT * 2014 - Creep, collaboration with Jackie Gallant * 2011 - Nothing Compares to You * 2011 - Don't Ask Don't Tell Gay, Gay, Gay * 2011 - Peptalk. * 2011 - Breaking up with Stephen Harper * 2010 - The Cremation of Sam McGee * 2010 - Thong * 2009 - Ultimate SUB Ultimate DOM: Maria Von Trapp & Mary Poppins * 2009 - That's Right Diana Barry- You Needed Me * 2009 - Teabagging and Other Beauty Secrets * 2009 - The Secret Message Tapes * 2005 - Pleasure Zone * 2004 - Dad, Don’t be Mad * 2002 - Master Libation * 2001 - Watching Lesbian Porn * 2000 - The Bathroom Tapes: Track 3; Take 4 ("My Man") * 1999 - How to Fake an Orgasm (whether you need to or not)

References

External links

daynarama.comgivideo.orgvtape.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLeod, Dayna Canadian performance artists Women performance artists Canadian video artists Women video artists Canadian women artists Living people Canadian LGBT artists 1972 births 21st-century LGBT people