WHO could resist the latest invitation from South Bank artiste Sam Lawrence’s 103 Falling Birds?

“I have a new show coming up on 24th May which promises to be as anarchic as usual,” she wrote to The Press, whose previous encounters with Sam included Lido, a site-specific dance, swimming and brass music extravaganza in celebration of Yearsley Pool’s centenary in 2008, and Blue Hawaii Elvis songs, cocktail stick umbrellas, grass skirts and dance-theatre misadventures on board the Tropical Hibiscus Floating Paradise on the Ouse for the 2009 York Festival of the Rivers.

“Be seduced by the delightful Venus Viola and discover the secret of her extraordinary culinary talents. You will be amazed by a mouth-wateringly unique and playful blend of sideshow, cookery, dance-theatre and song,” enticed Sam, of South Bank, York.

The accompanying tantalising photography by Jim Poyner combined polka-dotty imagery of culinary implements suspended in mid-air with a naked back view of a domestic goddess whose flexed, muscular arm could surely not have been the result solely of stirring a muffin mixture?

Meeting Sam for morning coffee and cinnamon toast at where else but Bettys, she was dressed in sleeveless black, toned to the max, and proceeded to demonstrate how her body building was taking shape.

“Venus Viola’s Three Minute Muffins meddles with incongruity, transformation and expectations of femininity,” she explains.

“The show is part of a research project I’m doing, a rambling process of research – personal and professional – for what I’ve been interested over the past few years and that is freak shows, as in the old circus sideshow freak shows.

“It’s something that’s died out although I believe we have freak shows in other ways now: all those reality TV shows are the new freak shows of our age.”

Sam duly created the character of Venus Viola. “I liked the idea of rekindling the thinking behind freak shows but also playing with images of femininity, and I’m particularly interested in the 1950s’ domestic goddess.

“So in Venus Viola’s show I’m juxtaposing something that doesn’t fit with people’s conventional idea of the Fifties’ ideal domestic woman to raise questions about femininity…and that ‘something’ is female body building – which you wouldn’t associate with the 1950s or with body-building, and I’d like to ask the question, ‘Why not?’,” she says.

“I came up with this idea: what if we could have this beautiful, graceful domestic goddess who actually turns into a strong woman, flexing her muscles and strutting her stuff, as well as cooking.

Wouldn’t that be interesting?”

Er yes, Sam, it would. “That’s been my personal goal, to build up my body,” she says. “I’ve hired a personal trainer since February to build up muscle, which is quite a challenge as I’m a naturally skinny person.

“Some people’s bodies are better predisposed to building bulk but mine isn’t one of them but in terms of performance I’ve been able to build up enough muscle, and because it’s juxtaposed with the domestic context it’s more powerful.”

Vegetarian Sam, who works out at Emperors gym four or five times a week and drinks plenty of protein shakes, has watched Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pumping Iron rather too often and consulted women who compete in body-building contests. “They’ve given me tips on how to pose, with specific poses to show off your muscles, so I’ve used those within my choreography,” she says. “I’m using my body in a different way in this show; you can really transform your body through bodybuilding and as a woman that feels good.”

Venus Viola’s Three-Minute Muffins is a 25-minute work-in-progress in its first phase of development – “like my body”, says Sam – and will be developed further for festival and platform performances after Tuesday’s shows at York St John University.

“What happens is that Venus Viola, the domestic goddess, presents her cookery lesson on her Three Minute Muffins, which are amazing because they really do take only three minutes. You’ll have to see the show to see how…but the real magic happens while they’re cooking, though I don’t want to give too much away as I want it to be a surprise! Let’s just say it changes unexpectedly!” says Sam, who will wear a dress designed by York designer Linda Tomlinson.

Her performance will be accompanied by voice artist Maggi Stratford. “In freak shows and circus sideshows they have a ‘spieler’, who lures the audience into the show, builds up a sense of anticipation and interacts with the performance throughout,” says Sam. “It’s a Victorian show-woman role and Maggi will charm you with her gorgeous voice.”

And yes, you will be able to sample Venus Viola’s three-minute double chocolate muffins afterwards.

103 Falling Birds present Venus Viola’s Three Minute Muffins at The Arts Workshop, York St John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York, on Tuesday at 4.30pm and 7pm, as part of the Create11 Festival.

Admission is free; recipe cards will be for sale.