A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

Shift in Seattle

Wow, I am really blown away by this performance shot of Bonnie by Mamma Tomma — skewering someone with a pitchfork and then using it to lift them up into the air is very intense!!! I’d love to have seen this show in person…

Comments

100 responses to “Shift in Seattle”

  1. outmywindow Avatar
    outmywindow

    It’s strange, but even though I intuitively knew her expression was one of pain, it actually made me happy. There’s a lot of freedom and release mixed in with that pain, or so it seems to me.

  2. outmywindow Avatar
    outmywindow

    It’s strange, but even though I intuitively knew her expression was one of pain, it actually made me happy. There’s a lot of freedom and release mixed in with that pain, or so it seems to me.

  3. lala Avatar
    lala

    I think that’s just incredible….

    It looks oddly spiritual…

  4. lala Avatar
    lala

    I think that’s just incredible….

    It looks oddly spiritual…

  5. Mike Pitts Avatar
    Mike Pitts

    Hello to everyone and thanks for all of the rave reviews and amazing comments. I am the founder and director of SHIFT and we have been together for quite some time. To answer some of the questiosn about the piece: Yes ther are two pitchforks. Each of Bonnie’s sides had three 4-gauge needles in place prior to her entrance on stage, the insertions of the forks were done one at a time, each fork has three prongs, and each prong was in skin. The reason that she is not furhter down on the forks is that skin has a certain elasticity, and as I assured her pre-forking, the skin will eventually just stop stretching. The show was great, thanks to Infinite Connections, CoRE, PURE Cirkus, and everyone in Seattle for being so hospitable.

    Much love and Madd RespeKt…

    M

  6. Mike Pitts Avatar
    Mike Pitts

    Hello to everyone and thanks for all of the rave reviews and amazing comments. I am the founder and director of SHIFT and we have been together for quite some time. To answer some of the questiosn about the piece: Yes ther are two pitchforks. Each of Bonnie’s sides had three 4-gauge needles in place prior to her entrance on stage, the insertions of the forks were done one at a time, each fork has three prongs, and each prong was in skin. The reason that she is not furhter down on the forks is that skin has a certain elasticity, and as I assured her pre-forking, the skin will eventually just stop stretching. The show was great, thanks to Infinite Connections, CoRE, PURE Cirkus, and everyone in Seattle for being so hospitable.

    Much love and Madd RespeKt…

    M

  7. starspring Avatar

    What a beautiful shapely body. she looks amazingly healthy and radiant.

  8. starspring Avatar

    What a beautiful shapely body. she looks amazingly healthy and radiant.

  9. Lizz Avatar
    Lizz

    Hey Shannon- This is completely off topic but if you don’t get around to reading this, maybe someone else will. I just started using bloglinks as an RSS reader, and every other feed I subscribe to plays very nicely with it, but for some reason the last ModBlog post that registers with it is the diamond cuttings entry from the 16th. What gives?

  10. Lizz Avatar
    Lizz

    Hey Shannon- This is completely off topic but if you don’t get around to reading this, maybe someone else will. I just started using bloglinks as an RSS reader, and every other feed I subscribe to plays very nicely with it, but for some reason the last ModBlog post that registers with it is the diamond cuttings entry from the 16th. What gives?

  11. rori Avatar

    what exactly is shift?
    a place? a group? a person?
    just curious so i can check whatever it is out next time something like this happens

  12. rori Avatar

    what exactly is shift?
    a place? a group? a person?
    just curious so i can check whatever it is out next time something like this happens

  13. av3ry Avatar
    av3ry

    Wow.
    I’m with you on that, Shannon. That would have been an AMAZING thing to see in person.

  14. av3ry Avatar
    av3ry

    Wow.
    I’m with you on that, Shannon. That would have been an AMAZING thing to see in person.

  15. Adam aka Orderly Confusion Avatar

    I saw this in person, and the photos don’t do it justice…

    SHIFT from Portland, OR is amazing.

  16. Adam aka Orderly Confusion Avatar

    I saw this in person, and the photos don’t do it justice…

    SHIFT from Portland, OR is amazing.

  17. waffle Avatar
    waffle

    thats awsome

  18. waffle Avatar
    waffle

    thats awsome

  19. bevly Avatar
    bevly

    is it clean. omfg that would be a set goal for me if safe.
    “goal” i mean, like the -i wish -types

  20. bevly Avatar
    bevly

    is it clean. omfg that would be a set goal for me if safe.
    “goal” i mean, like the -i wish -types

  21. wish_I_were_a_dragon... Avatar

    that looks amazing, could this be the beggining of a wave of alternative suspensionesk experiences?

    I would so love to try that myself one day…

  22. wish_I_were_a_dragon... Avatar

    that looks amazing, could this be the beggining of a wave of alternative suspensionesk experiences?

    I would so love to try that myself one day…

  23. Mike Pitts Avatar
    Mike Pitts

    Hey all…here is a way to find out a little more about SHIFT…things are busy and finbals are almost here for me, but I promise to try and get us established on BME here soon….again, thanks for all of the support!

    M

    wE aRe thE eDge…

    shift

  24. Mike Pitts Avatar
    Mike Pitts

    Hey all…here is a way to find out a little more about SHIFT…things are busy and finbals are almost here for me, but I promise to try and get us established on BME here soon….again, thanks for all of the support!

    M

    wE aRe thE eDge…

    shift

  25. Mike Pitts Avatar
    Mike Pitts

    oops…here’s the link…

    http://www.myspace.com/shift_pdx

    M

  26. Mike Pitts Avatar
    Mike Pitts

    oops…here’s the link…

    http://www.myspace.com/shift_pdx

    M

  27. Holly Avatar

    I just.. I wasn’t grossed out by the cheesey nasty plug, I wasn’t grossed out by the man putting out the cig in his cock.. but this… makes me want to die inside. What’s on her side in the first picture? How is this physically possible? I can just imagine her sliding down the pitch fork. These pictures make me die a little inside. O.o

  28. Holly Avatar

    I just.. I wasn’t grossed out by the cheesey nasty plug, I wasn’t grossed out by the man putting out the cig in his cock.. but this… makes me want to die inside. What’s on her side in the first picture? How is this physically possible? I can just imagine her sliding down the pitch fork. These pictures make me die a little inside. O.o

  29. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    holy crap, this is gorgeous.

  30. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    holy crap, this is gorgeous.

  31. louisa Avatar

    i cant believe what im seeing! i cant work out how its possible either! i would love to see this too! i cant even imagine what it would feel like!

  32. louisa Avatar

    i cant believe what im seeing! i cant work out how its possible either! i would love to see this too! i cant even imagine what it would feel like!

  33. Sade Avatar
    Sade

    i find this picture very refreshing…and calming;i doubt it was supposed to:/

  34. Sade Avatar
    Sade

    i find this picture very refreshing…and calming;i doubt it was supposed to:/

  35. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    this woman is so beautiful, and to see her impaled on a pitchfork just makes her a bit more of an eccentric, but still dropdead gorgeous. i totally agree with Toser in comment number 4

  36. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    this woman is so beautiful, and to see her impaled on a pitchfork just makes her a bit more of an eccentric, but still dropdead gorgeous. i totally agree with Toser in comment number 4

  37. winterborn Avatar
    winterborn

    it is realy impressive!

  38. winterborn Avatar
    winterborn

    it is realy impressive!

  39. Shutterbug Avatar

    She makes me want to be bald. What an amazing looking performance. I’d love to see that in person.

  40. Shutterbug Avatar

    She makes me want to be bald. What an amazing looking performance. I’d love to see that in person.

  41. Mz Blue Avatar
    Mz Blue

    What is SHIFT:
    –verb (used with object)
    to put (something) aside and replace it by another or others; change or exchange
    noun
    a change or transfer from one place, position, direction, person, etc., to another
    –verb (used without object)
    to move from one place, position, direction, etc., to another

    We are SHIFT

  42. Mz Blue Avatar
    Mz Blue

    What is SHIFT:
    –verb (used with object)
    to put (something) aside and replace it by another or others; change or exchange
    noun
    a change or transfer from one place, position, direction, person, etc., to another
    –verb (used without object)
    to move from one place, position, direction, etc., to another

    We are SHIFT

  43. modfan Avatar
    modfan

    INTENSE! Intense beauty. Intense pain. Intense hotness. Intense pleasure. My hat’s off to Bonnie. What she went through was well worth it!

  44. modfan Avatar
    modfan

    INTENSE! Intense beauty. Intense pain. Intense hotness. Intense pleasure. My hat’s off to Bonnie. What she went through was well worth it!

  45. Adristar Avatar
    Adristar

    I want to say, ouch.
    her face makes it seem like it hurt like a bitch.
    But I would certainly want to see this in person.

  46. Adristar Avatar
    Adristar

    I want to say, ouch.
    her face makes it seem like it hurt like a bitch.
    But I would certainly want to see this in person.

  47. jst Avatar
    jst

    How come she can withstand so much pain?

  48. jst Avatar
    jst

    How come she can withstand so much pain?

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