23 July 2009

Joanna to Upstairs63

I believe that in unstable conditions (undefined, not finished, not clear, open, in suspension), there are more possibilities.
A place of possibilities where new things can emerge; that is how I see Upstairs.
Emergency, as you all know by now, is a word that interests me a lot.
For me the state of emergency is really interesting for the amount of possibilities that it holds and for the presence of real-possible change.
By real change I mean something that can alter a whole system (always with the consciousness that a change can be good or bad).
A System can be anything. Nowadays when someone says this word we have the tendency to think about big systems, but I see also my work as a system, myself as one.
Generally speaking I think that it is easier to change a system if it is under unstable conditions, because in such conditions every act means something and can change the structures whereas in other conditions that small act, although meaningful, would just be integrated by the Systems structure and stability without leaving any trace.

I see in Upstairs a territory in State of Emergency and that’s why, from the beginning (one year ago) I started going up. Immediately when one goes in the space ideas come to mind, and, even if they are unclear, the feeling that something can be done is present and I value this feeling a lot.

I think that places in State of Emergency can be found everywhere, in a person, in a group, in a city, in my country, in other countries, but mostly they are avoided (at least in the societies where I have lived all my life). In my opinion they are avoided because suspension, structure less, open, and unstable conditions are not exactly the most comfortable ones, and therefore most people, or at least the ones I know, artists or not, have the tendency to stick with what is known, what is there already, built and working, It is difficult for some to deal with non-definition, although it is precisely the necessary ground to build something new.

Pretending not to see Emergency or just forgetting about this part of life to avoid the hard job of dealing with change and instability is for me an interesting theme, and in my work I try do deal with this questions.

This year I am also thinking about UPSTAIRS in wider terms. My condition is different, I am going to Brazil in some weeks and the discussion that we started, about the metaphor of a forgotten place, about the forgotten place in ourselves or forgotten in our society helped me to see a clear connection between the space itself (the 5th floor) but also other spaces, physical or not.

For me, working Upstairs (here or in Brazil) is a choice. Less than a necessity to fight a System is an attempt to cause instability in a System so that new ideas and connections can emerge and produce change (hopefully good ones).

see you
Jo

1 comment:

Comment