Action no. 13

In 2020, interpersonal communication received a blow, with the most basic actions like going out, meeting people, and the smallest gathering becoming dangerous and even prohibited. Suddenly many routine activities became illegal and normative citizens became outlaws. Our interactions have also changed: with half the face covered by masks, facial expressions cannot be fully seen and touch has become a scary and dangerous matter. Interpersonal communication has become a space of trauma that requires repair and healing.
In the work for two participants – the artist and a viewer – we will inquire what are the tools for restoring communication or alternatively, for finding other ways to connect. We will explore this issue through the question: What comes after us? This resonates with the question posed by French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy in 1991 to philosophers and intellectuals: “Who comes after the subject?” with this question, he wished to capture a key moment in continental philosophy and what is known as “the death of the subject” in late 20th century postmodernism. Thirty years later, the performance invites another contemplation on this issue in the wake of essential physical and technological changes in human life brought about by climate change, the global pandemic, and political crises, alongside rapid technological developments and changing perception of human life.