In 2020 a covid-19 pandemic started spreading across geographic boundaries. A worldwide call for homestay and physical distancing made existing privileges and social and economic inequalities (even more) apparent. TAAK, with myself as the project’s content and text editor, initiated the online project In Quarantine, together with artists Paulien Oltheten and Alina Lupu – discussing how collective (artistic) practices develop within a shared public domain with its shifting nature.
In Stay Healthy, a series of short video portraits, Oltheten documented a range of examples of human contact, amidst the silence and sterility of the city. Lupu created a series of blog posts and audio files under the overarching title Our New Normal, addressing themes of labor, time, tourism, housing, capitalism, and institutional critique. In part two of Our New Normal we invited four authors to reply to Lupu’s questions, from their own practices and looking towards future possibilities: How is public space defined? Who does public space belong to? What systems sustain us? Are these visible to us at all times and if not, how do we make them visible? How to avoid exploitative systems? How to build new structures? How to work differently as artists? How to make space public again?
Together with: Paulien Oltheten, Alina Lupu, Friedrich von Borries, Carmen Salas, Liza Prins, Maisa Imamović, Theo Tegelaers, Annemieke Dannenberg
Site: online
Year: 2020-2021
Roles: editor, reflective dramaturge, conversation partner
Archive In Quarantine: https://www.taak.me/en/activity/in-quarantine-2/

Image: Alina Lupu