Bible Drinking, or 'Building Bridges with Buckfast'. Side Burns at Buzzcut Festival, Glasgow 2017.

Abstract:
         Bible Drinking is a ritual that is practiced by young Christians, e.g. scouts and YMCA members. The activity is traditionally set around a campfire, or at the meeting room of a church hall or youth centre. Participants read to each other from the Bible and whenever the word 'drink', 'wine', 'blood' or 'manna' is spoken, everyone drinks a shot of fortified wine. With this, conventional Christian mottos like perseverance, moderation and integrity are being broken, in order to re-apply them the next morning with a resurrected awareness.

Church of Performance (Plymouth based) is going to highlight the geographic significance between Buckfastleigh (near Plymouth) and Buckfast (fortified wine), which is brewed in Buckfastleigh and primarily exported to Scotland.

The artist-duo undertook an extended research in local hostelries to find that other Christian virtues, such as love, wisdom, faith, hope and courage, can be traced amongst the humans present. These are much needed in current times of international despair. In an aim to 'Build Bridges with Buckfast', Church of Performance will re-enact this ritual in an awkward space somewhere at the Buzzcut Festival. In honour of being accepted, Church of Performance will change their name to ChoP.