Plein Air AI I

Forced freedom | elementary properties. (Performative animation)

After freely chosing their own identity (any number between 1 and 15), 12 participants were absolutely free to choose between two modes of action, either to stay where they were (do nothing / inaction / 0) or to cross the red line and migrate to the opposite end of their  zone of origin (do / action / 1). While crossing to the other side they were also free to choose their pole position. 

Whistle-blower announces beginning of the act (single short blow of the whistle) and records the factual outcome of the passed act (writes down location of every aricipant).

No interpretation, no metaphoric, hidden or symbolic meanings, no connotations, no choreography, no gestures no poses, just a pure act, recorded as a fact. In fact, 20 acts, meticulously noted on paper and sparsely photographed (though photographs are not the artworks, neither documentation of the acts). Artistic object is the individual act rooted in free choice. Rigid framework of the process (sequence of acts and suplementary actions) gave recognizable and contemlatable form so each act can be apreciated formaly. 

Being in one of three states, here, there, and in-between or becoming as a transitory state leading from here to there. One continuous being articulated as being here or there, static, countable, and becoming, transitory, in-flux, a reaching-out-for-the-state, state. Joy (perhaps some felt it) of pure being, not the being of Being-- Being was abandoned for a moment, deflated, narative identities replaced with the numeric index, --but an attempt of being as pre-ideologic, pre-existential, pre-truth-of-Being act. Being as being-through, not as the Being observable from outside, from birds-eye-view, with all the implied dramatics of finality, but being as operative state, leading to an act. An act excavatable or documentable  (under certain circumstances) as a fact. A primary social imprint. I act, therefore I am social.  You are either here on this side or there on the other. Or you are here and there at once, if you posses elementary properties.


Noticed: sporadic acts of micro-courage while breaking the ranks and going to the opposite side when the rest of the line-mates stay. Or standing in line when your neighbours chose to leave. Also, a flirtatious cat-walk-like playground of walking-by and throwing glances at your mates in motion. Does the line draw a sense of the group, a solidarity? Do they want to stand together on the line? Do short lines get reinforcement or are altogether abandoned?  

Recording an immateriality and immediacy of decision making. Hard problem of consciousness revisited. How thought initiates material process which in return affects the thought. Walking the red line was in fact casually walking over the abyss. Back and forth.