Make It Fit
Collective Performance
2020 - Now
I took my notebook, stood in front of the audience, and read the instructions.
Audience were told to tie rubber bands to their bodies anywhere they felt fit. These rubber bands were connected by another long elastic cord that tied everyone together. So everyone’s action or movement will affect the whole group, also be limited by the group. And they need to rearrange all the objects in the space, including their own bodies, to make everything ‘fit’, to build a perfect architecture.
The whole process without verbal communitation. When a group of strangers become a collective with a common goal because of the situation I created, they all seemed to act actively or passively towards achieving the goal, but this goal is a vague illusion, what is 'perfect' ', what is 'fit'. Everyone has questions and their own answers. At the same time, in this non-verbal communication process, there is always a moment when everyone will tacitly stop moving and reach a consensus.
What kind of consensus is this? How did it form? Is it the product of compromise? Or is this a common interpretation of 'perfection' in the minds of all?
When the audience enters the room, the expectation of 'performance' becomes attention, and this attention seems to give me, the so-called artist, some kind of power, and I use this power to read the insturctions.
Their actions are autonomous, unpredictable, but also predictable in the context and rules created.
Audience were told to tie rubber bands to their bodies anywhere they felt fit. These rubber bands were connected by another long elastic cord that tied everyone together. So everyone’s action or movement will affect the whole group, also be limited by the group. And they need to rearrange all the objects in the space, including their own bodies, to make everything ‘fit’, to build a perfect architecture.
The whole process without verbal communitation. When a group of strangers become a collective with a common goal because of the situation I created, they all seemed to act actively or passively towards achieving the goal, but this goal is a vague illusion, what is 'perfect' ', what is 'fit'. Everyone has questions and their own answers. At the same time, in this non-verbal communication process, there is always a moment when everyone will tacitly stop moving and reach a consensus.
What kind of consensus is this? How did it form? Is it the product of compromise? Or is this a common interpretation of 'perfection' in the minds of all?
When the audience enters the room, the expectation of 'performance' becomes attention, and this attention seems to give me, the so-called artist, some kind of power, and I use this power to read the insturctions.
Their actions are autonomous, unpredictable, but also predictable in the context and rules created.
Instruction:
Welcome! Thank you for joining. All of us are sharing this space right now. Breathing the same air, listening to the same instruction, even though I don’t want to call it ‘instruction’. Maybe everyone are looking in different directions.
But now, please look at each other, look at your partners. In the following time, everyone will link together physically, maybe also mentally, and collaborate to build a fit structure, building, architecture, or sculpture.
Fit, make everything fit, also make yourself fit, make yourself a part of this perfect structure, building, architecture, or sculpture ‘Perfect’, please allow me to use this word, although I know it is not accurate enough.
Please put the black elastic bands on your wrist, leg or neck… anywhere on your body, only if you feel ‘fit’. You can move everything in the right space.
Please refrain from verbal communication during whole process. I believe that, we can reach a consensus in non- verbal environment. A consensus on a perfect space, structure, building, architecture or sculpture, whatever you want to call it. When everyone stop moving for 5 seconds, we can assume that we reach this perfect consensus goal!
Welcome! Thank you for joining. All of us are sharing this space right now. Breathing the same air, listening to the same instruction, even though I don’t want to call it ‘instruction’. Maybe everyone are looking in different directions.
But now, please look at each other, look at your partners. In the following time, everyone will link together physically, maybe also mentally, and collaborate to build a fit structure, building, architecture, or sculpture.
Fit, make everything fit, also make yourself fit, make yourself a part of this perfect structure, building, architecture, or sculpture ‘Perfect’, please allow me to use this word, although I know it is not accurate enough.
Please put the black elastic bands on your wrist, leg or neck… anywhere on your body, only if you feel ‘fit’. You can move everything in the right space.
Please refrain from verbal communication during whole process. I believe that, we can reach a consensus in non- verbal environment. A consensus on a perfect space, structure, building, architecture or sculpture, whatever you want to call it. When everyone stop moving for 5 seconds, we can assume that we reach this perfect consensus goal!
Experiment 1:
Big Empaty Gallery Space
10 People
1 Elastic strings,
2 tables,1 ladder, 5 chairs,1 fan, 1 broom, rope, bubble wrap
Duration:10min
Big Empaty Gallery Space
10 People
1 Elastic strings,
2 tables,1 ladder, 5 chairs,1 fan, 1 broom, rope, bubble wrap
Duration:10min
Participant’s feedback:
A: I am at one end of the elastic string, so my action can’t really affact other people, I felt excluded. I want to be in the group more. People in the middle of the string are more dominant in the process
B: I very want to turn on the fan, and the socket is one the wall which is far away from the whole group. It means I have to against the whole group, drag the elastic to finish my personal wish, and I made it.
A: I am at one end of the elastic string, so my action can’t really affact other people, I felt excluded. I want to be in the group more. People in the middle of the string are more dominant in the process
B: I very want to turn on the fan, and the socket is one the wall which is far away from the whole group. It means I have to against the whole group, drag the elastic to finish my personal wish, and I made it.
C：At first, there was no motivation for me to move. For me, everything in the room already fit. But then, as the whole group was moving, I was forced to move, and the linked elastic ropes made me move. I also find joy in doing this, it’s very fun.
D: I was not actively to make everything fit. I think it maybe because of the relationship of the space and the group, the size might be the factor.
E: I think it's like a study of artists, and I wonder what this group of people would do if they didn't come from an artistic background.
F: I'm wondering if this result or consensus was reached because of impatience? Was it the result of a compromise?
Experiment 2:
Small storage space
2 People
10 Mirros,
3 disply stads(different size,1 broken mattress, 2 lights,1 wooden board
Duration: 5-20min
