Untitled, (documentation) 2016
I have tried to create tension between individuals by having separate groups of
participants face each other without manipulatively creating a hierarchical structure.
For example, a group of international students were seated in an exhibition space,
and other students (mostly British) were let into the exhibition space without any information about its content.
The moment of the encounter highlighted the boundaries between nationalities and races that had been less visible previously;moreover, it gave rise to discomfort and anxiety in the participants. In particular, the students let into the exhibition were reluctant to point out these obvious differences. Interestingly, those who did point out these differences were accused of making racist comments by some other members of the same group, hinting at the discomfort associated with revealing boundaries between nationalities and races.
The moment of the encounter highlighted the boundaries between nationalities and races that had been less visible previously;moreover, it gave rise to discomfort and anxiety in the participants. In particular, the students let into the exhibition were reluctant to point out these obvious differences. Interestingly, those who did point out these differences were accused of making racist comments by some other members of the same group, hinting at the discomfort associated with revealing boundaries between nationalities and races.