Kim Noble: walking a fine line between side-splitting art and psychological scarring

British multimedia artist Kim Noble has been riding a wave of near unanimous acclaim in London and Edinburgh with his explicit new show Kim Noble Will Die. Combining video, gallows humor, avant-garde theatre and bodily fluids, this is one performance Montreal’s Zoofest audience won’t soon forget.

When people refer to you as a comedian, do you feel like they’re missing the point of your work? I don’t stand up and tell jokes. Some people find my work funny, but I hope it provokes other responses as well. A group of people told me they came out of my show crying, but not with laughter. Being slightly fucked up, I take that as a personal triumph. The show is comedy, but it’s also theatre, art and other things.

Speaking of other things, were there complications with having your sperm samples in the show? The sperm is frozen and given away in medically sealed sample pots, so there’s little danger of spillages. The biggest headache is the production of the stuff. I have very sympathetic housemates who are aware that the bottom drawer of the freezer is a no-go zone.

What was it like working as an artist in residence at a hospital? Psychiatric hospitals are tough places. Many unwell folks find themselves inside, all herded together, heightening everyone’s sense of being mad. I made short films with some of the residents, and I hope it gave them a space to express themselves, a sense of identity outside of being in a madhouse.

When dealing with issues of mental health, do you hear from audience members who relate? I get a lot feedback from people who experience such things, and it’s good that they can open up to someone. One sufferer started sending razor blades to the theatre, but I’d rather be getting flowers, or checks, or pretty girls offering me the world. Perhaps they have them in Canada? I’d like more reactions from that demographic if possible.

Kim Noble Will Die
Until July 24
Théâtre La Chapelle | 3700, St-Dominique
zoofest.com