Ljubljana (SI), 2012
Metal, plastic
60x90x90 cm
Video performance 4’18’’
WEAR XIII
Similar to Wear XII, Wear XIII was also created for a homely environment, with the only difference being that the environment in which I felt homely at the time was the Alkatraz Gallery. My interest was increasingly moving towards interaction. In the piece with the working title Chair I toyed with the idea of including people into the process of creating the video performance.
The person sitting on the chair uses the machine to kick people in front of him or her. With each kick (even a missed one) the chair moves 10 centimetres forward. With this I wished to address the issue of the relation of power between individuals in society and the work positions or roles that emerge from this. The individual can place him or herself into the role of the one kicking or into the role of the one receiving the kick, at which the willingness to exchange roles is of key importance. The positions of power can change, while the question of who works and who is the carrier of power in the relation remains open. In the gallery people found it extremely entertaining to kick each other. The gallery context also prevented the experience to remain merely on the level of a naive game.
Through a series of exhibitions I noticed how the behaviour and relation towards artworks change if we take away their symbolic status of untouchability. The possibility of interaction encourages playfulness and casualness in the visitors.