[On entering the exhibition space at Somerset House visitors are faced with the physical aspect of the installation: a vast plexiglass petri dish cultivated with samples from the bodies of the project collaborators and the material of the exhibition space itself that inter-react and grow in an unforeseeable manner. Who is “I” and who are “we” when we talk about “us”? Every “we” inevitably generates exclusion.]
"Aren’t you as much part of your bacteria as the bacteria are part of you?
What does the technology called
justice concern itself with?
The craft of justice is a matter of
generating “friends with benefits.”
What does the technology called
justice concern itself with?
The craft of justice is a matter of
generating “friends with benefits.”
They are the persons you call from your walks of shame
with a right to present the evidence of intimacy you have collected.
The reason for this is that they, similarly to you, are a dog.
Dogs do not become lovers. Though they carry out their investigations,
they have offspring and they submit modest proposals
to domesticate untold collective pain."
with a right to present the evidence of intimacy you have collected.
The reason for this is that they, similarly to you, are a dog.
Dogs do not become lovers. Though they carry out their investigations,
they have offspring and they submit modest proposals
to domesticate untold collective pain."
– Audiopieces, by Kaja Kusztra, together with Rebekka Kiesewetter Raeuber&Stehler. A Text for Un/Heard Voices.
[Recognizing this circumstance, the installation’s center piece explodes the boundaries of being human and being space, unraveling their properties as manifold, intra-dependent “wes” in themselves, that interact far beyond the skin and material surface. It reveals how “I” and “we” are becoming through relating – through affecting and being affected. It asks the visitors to question their own relationships, positions, motivations and roles in the process of composition of the world that we are all (still) part of, as well as their own means for participating more actively in its becoming.] http://bodyofus.ch/
CREDITS
This project was conceived and executed by a diverse team:
Jamie Allen
Paul Boshears
Morgan Brown
Julia Freyhoff
Bernhard Garnicnig
Corinne Gisel
Fabian Harb
Nina Jaeger
Rebekka Kiesewetter
Kaja Kusztra
Vanessa Lorenzo
Matthias Maurer
Raphaëlle Mueller
Nina Paim
Lukas Popp
Fabian Ritzi
Maximilian Thoman
Robert Torche
Robyn Torche
Kirsty White
INITIATED BY
the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia in collaboration with Presence Switzerland and the Embassy of Switzerland in the UK.
The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia is mandated by the Swiss Confederation to promote artistic creation in Switzerland, contribute to cultural exchange at home, promote the dissemination of Swiss culture abroad and foster cultural outreach. It is responsible for Swiss contributions to art, architecture and design biennials.
COMMISSIONER
SWISS ARTS COUNCIL PRO HELVETIA | Marianne Burki, Head of Visual Arts
PROJECT COORDINATION
SWISS ARTS COUNCIL PRO HELVETIA | Aline Juchler, Visual Arts
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN THE UK | David Kilian Beck, Head of Culture
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN THE UK | David Kilian Beck, Head of Culture
PRESS OFFICE SWITZERLAND
SWISS ARTS COUNCIL PRO HELVETIA | Chantal Hirschi, Marlène Mauris, Lisa Stadler
PRESS OFFICE INTERNATIONAL | MAY Concepts, Romain Casella, Vincenzo Speciale
SUPPORTING BODIES
Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia; Presence Switzerland and the Embassy of Switzerland in the UK; Swiss Cultural Fund UK
WITH THANKS TO
the Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures FHNW HGK Basel, the Stadtwerkstatt Basel and Hackuarium Lausanne for their hospitality.
