You will take on a rather interesting role as part of 2790° The Boiling Point. Will there be any treadmills involved?
I can give you the scoop that there will definitely be a treadmill involved! I have a work called Fun Run where basically I run a marathon on a treadmill, it may have been a reference point for David Pledger curating me in the conference. The work that I will be doing for the conference is different in scale and approach but it will have reference points to that original work.

Sounds exciting! Are you looking forward to the performance?
Yes, although I am steering away from using the word ‘performance’ as it’s more of a happening rather than a performance. I will be present throughout the breaks between the keynote speakers and the work will be a way of processing some of the scenes that have come out of the presentations. But yes, to experiment with a new form and something that will build over the three days is a bit exciting.

We’ve seen photos of you in a gold sequin jumpsuit wearing and some killer heels. How did that come about?
That is a photo from some other work of mine, I have done some performances where I am trying to find Grace Jones and that was a hero image from that work. I am not adverse to a gold onesie and high heels.

What’s the most absurd thing you’ve done in the name of art?
Oh my god, you’re asking the wrong person! I love absurdity and art so everything that I do is a little bit absurd. As mentioned, I’ve run a marathon on a treadmill many times in the name of art, I’ve done a show where I sent all of my possessions into a studio and contestants competed for a chance to win everything that I owned. I have tried to find Grace Jones, I have done endurance performances that have lasted all night and I have worn high heels in the name of art, I’ve done many ridiculous things!

How would you describe your style of performance?
I would say that my work is performance spectacle and that it combines artists, communities and audiences together in events that transcend the everyday.

You’ve performed Fun Run many times in many different incarnations, what have been some of the more memorable shows?
The most recent Fun Run incarnation was performed in Korea for the Ansan Street Arts Festival and 30,000 people attended the event and the cast included 700 people from the local community. The town had actually experienced some significant trauma 12-months earlier when a ferry sank and drowned a number of people so I was pretty honoured to be able to go there and create a work that encouraged so many people to come out and start celebrating again.

How did Korean audiences react to the performance?
They loved it! It was as if that work was made for Korea. It was the perfect combination of endurance, sport commitment and absurdity as well.

You’ve achieved some amazing things so far and have worked all around the world, can you share with us some highlights?
Definitely the recent performance in Korea was a highlight. It really did feel like art had the potential to fix things, which was really exciting.

What has been the most surprising audience reaction to one of your shows?
We’ve had people get married on the stage of Fun Run before, well they didn’t get married but they did have a bridal waltz on stage. People come and see the work and can stay for five minutes or five hours so there is always a varying degree of interaction, which is always exciting.

What and who inspires you?
Australian artists are inspiring at the moment. There are a lot of people working in various artistic contexts around Australia and creating amazing work that is being seen around the country but also internationally. I am really inspired by the curation of David’s festival as well, there are some really exciting partnerships between arts and industry and I think that’s a really interesting place for people to collaborate in. It’s really at the forefront of innovation and art. I’m also particularly inspired by Grace Jones who, at the age of 68, is still performing. I recently saw her in Vivid and she basically performed the whole show naked to a crowd of thousands who loved it and she was amazing. If I had the longevity of her career, I’d be a happy chappy.

How do you define success?
I think that’s a very tricky question because I think that people define success in their practice in very different ways. It may be through innovation in art or it may be the combination of working with different people to be leaders in the art form, it may be just the consistency of creating a practice that may not be at the forefront of innovation but is consistent and continuously working with communities, artists and people. I also think it’s the continual research and development of art practice that makes sure you’re always looking for or revealing new things for audiences.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you faced as a performance artist?
That my fat body can’t run a marathon! I hate running.

If you hate running, why choose a marathon?
Because I think it’s interesting watching someone struggle through a marathon when they can’t really do it. It provides great dramatic tension. Watching an everyman attempt a task that may be physically above him makes for good drama and good endurance performance.

What kind of training do you have to do before a performance?
I do train for a couple of months despite the fact that I try and postpone that for as long as possible. I am not a runner and I don’t enjoy it but I do have to train to get up to the stage of being able to run 42.2 kilometres.

What was your childhood dream?
I think I was obsessed with fame as a child but that has dissipated quite quickly. I would probably be working in communities, maybe teaching kids or maybe hustling on the streets? I don’t know!

What will be your Magnum Opus?
I actually have a trilogy of works, which is Fun Run and Gameshow and the final work that is yet to be realised and I’m not sure if it ever will be but it’s called Miss Universe and that’s the gold onesie and high heels costume that we spoke about earlier. The idea would be that I would try and find Grace Jones, I would hunt her down and we would perform together in a performance battle and whoever lost that battle would never be allowed to perform again publicly. I’m still in the process of trying to stalk her to see if she’d be interested, which she probably wouldn’t be at all, she’s doing fine by herself.

How do you like to start your weekend?
I am not the person to ask about that as I would like to sleep through my weekend if possible! I’d like to hangout with my partner in Queensland, somewhere in the sun and go to the 2790° The Boiling Point conference.

How do you see art’s role within society?
I think that the purpose of art is to create a space to be able to question and debate things to hopefully shape what’s happening in society. Art is an incredibly exciting form because it’s completely all over the place in that there are no absolutes. It’s all about questioning things.

What’s the best advice you’ve received in your career or life?
Don’t stop running!

What’s next for Tristan Meecham?
I am doing Fun Run at the ANTI Contemporary Art Festival in Finland in September and I am also developing a new solo theatre show that will premier at The Powerhouse in Brisbane next year. The working title is Versions of Truth but that title will change before the end of year.