top of page

What we do when we cannot do what we do

Resonance Collective (Pearlie Frisch, Jojo Taylor and M.Lohrum) was preparing for an exhibition in Switzerland when the pandemic hit. Our reaction was to avoid the obvious solution of hosting an online show and instead, work on a piece that engaged with an audience.

At the height of the 1st wave and influenced by our own isolation and the geographical distance, we addressed different questions: what do artists do when they cannot do what they do? Which form of art is appropriate in a time of social distance? Are our own, personal practices still relevant in the face of a global crisis?

The result is an ​interactive installation with an audio file in a seemingly empty space.

Instructions were written on the entrance door. People were not aware of what would follow once entering the space. The visitors would experience the cultural void but also a physical interaction with other exhibition visitors. Instead of the absent artists performing, the unsuspecting audience themselves perform whilst following audio instructions and thus become the artworks but would only realise this towards the end of the sound piece.

The setting (empty space, circles at 3 meters distance) are results of the measures to prevent the virus spreading. ​The audio piece intends to offer the visitors an important insight: In the midst of uncertainty, positive experiences are possible. Hope is a crucial ingredient in this project. Visitors reported a strong and positive impact from this shared experience in a real space with real people, while focusing on inner images, feeling close to other bodies, especially after isolation during a lockdown.

2020, B74 Raum für Kunst, Luzern, Switzerland.

bottom of page