RE

The project consists on the 7 days occupation of a former restaurant with a very large window to the street. The activities inside the semi/public, semi/private place are quotidian actions. Like reading a book, drinking coffee, arranging the space, cleaning the floor, replacing objects, repairing something, cutting words, knitting, playing guitar, playing cards, planning an action, looking, inter-acting, etc.
These everyday actions are my object of reflection. I’m interested in placing my “work” with its singularity side by side, having the same visibility as any other “work”.
I’m actually very interested in the notion of “work”!
The reflection also lays on our urge to live our lives with the energy and the engagement that it demands and be happy at the same time.
We are constantly RE arranging everything. This RE-arranging provokes / stimulates connections if we happen to be looking at them.
The RE-doing mode was our focus on the Re-action machine. Repetition is a constant given and it’s visibility quite entertaining without being event.
The strategy was to RE-do everyday working actions which for us means rehearsal (Repetition- in French) and improvisation practices using two movement modes: 1) slow motion. 2) Unstable ground / provoked unbalance.
During these working sessions we seek to interact with the outside world, meaning the other side of the glace window. And the outside world seeks to get our attention asking questions that we ourselves are asking as well. What are you doing? Why all this words start by RE? Why there is just verbs? Actually there were also abstract substantives as “the law”, “the knowledge”, “the tragedy”, “the nation”, “the time”, “the comedy”, “the sense”, etc.
Well the simple tools were a microphone (inside) linked to a speaker to the outside and a video camera (outside) linked to a video projector in the inside. Permeability!! Not RE but PER and we mingle the two places.
All activities are RE corded and can be RE-used in next session if desired. After the 7 days experience an exhibition has taken place. The space will be imprinted of our living activities. People can eventually come in, converse with us and assist to some practice.
In this particular event we were part of a dance trajectory and we showed the audience some of the activities we were proposing during the research time. But nothing compares to everyday life experience when it comes to look and to be looked at and have space to think about it.
I’m very grateful to the invitation of Linda Suy / Pianofabriek to realise this project and the help of the team.