| Title or content of the project: Your space or mine? |
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Artist(s) / Organization(s): Christine Brault
Media(s): performance
Date: 2008-5-20
Venue(s): ZhongShan Park |
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Description:
The project I'm proposing for Intrude has to do with the concept of "proxemics" (such as defined by anthropologist Edward T. Hall) and aims to explore the notion of vital space through various cultural communities by initiating and provoking different ways of encounters. The idea of this project first relies upon the use of urban environment as a socializing space, exploring communication modes especially non-verbal language.
I will then construct a soft and translucent giant bubble (human size) made of veil into which I'll insert myself and will thread my way in the public space through the people, imposing myself upon them.
In moving in a very slow manner, my own vital space will make itself visible and tangible with its structure and its materials as well as with the gestures of "folding" and unfolding", of opening and closing. The use of extreme slowness of the movement will clearly contradict the fast urban pace. By inserting myself through the crowd, I will tempt to "connect" with passers-by through holes in my "bubble".
This performance will allow me to "knock" through the passers-by informal territory (intimate distances, personal, social and public) and to "measure" and analyze the "thickness" of the Chinese's "intimate bubble" compared to us occidentals. The Chinese people are somewhat used to a promiscuity we, ourselves, rarely experience.
What will incite, stimulate the passers-by to encourage their participation? Are the Chinese curious and if so, what does attract them? Play, exchange, bargain? Thus, I want to explore other ways of approaching people, and above all new ways of non-verbal communication. Through these social interactions, what will be the reaction of observers and participants? My partner will be with me to document the events.
The whole creative and interactive process will be documented with the means of photography, writing, drawing and sound recording. After my artist residency, I plan to do a publication (artist book and/or other form of publication) about the whole process and the projects realized. |
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