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The hospitable body is a meeting place of many different elements and cultural reflections. Through the deconstruction of the concept, people’s social attitudes and qualities are depicted. The effects imprinted on the hospitable bodies inflect the function of the national legal systems and the mentalities of the people. In this way, the body becomes a symbol and acts as a means of recording human evolution and diversity.
The project is an approach to clarify the substantial difference between the hostile and hosting body and what would happen if we realize the reasons that lead to this categorization. Is there a chance to find out which side we are on? To what extent does the game of domination reach and why do people need it? Why do we get to the point of “eating each other” and what are the good parts about it? At what point does the hosting stop and the exploitation begin? How are bonds formed? What is the meaning of borders and who sets the boundaries? How How does a refugee or immigrant experience unintelligible injustice in their work and societal environment? How do people react hospitable?
Process
The joint performance emerged from the process of exploring the theme of hospitable bodies through different approaches. The topics that emerged through research in the form of texts and practical testing come together again in the collaborative video.
Process
The ID & Passport are the main documents which identify anyone. But what is behind these documents is a complex process that barely is shared, discussed, or even revealed. These objects hold experiences to any owner, hold the utmost symbol of when the person is or was treated in a hospitable or hostile way. It brings to the surface the controversiality of layers and levels of discrimination that a person faces. It shows how we are in a hegemonic system and who has the power to decide the right to come and go.
“The strawberry field” is a work based on the problem of labor exploitation of migrant workers in Manolada. In this village, which is situated in Southern Greece, there is a large number of strawberry farms, where the working conditions are unacceptable. This horrible story is used as a starting point for exploration of how the hospitable body reacts, perceives, acts and feels and the strawberry as a prop is the symbol of Modern Slavery and oppression.
The “Be(e)house” arose from the idea of making one's own body available to others. One becomes a shelter or even food, as was experimented in the video "Parasites". Through the idea of the parasite, a connection to the current pandemic of using the virus as a host for humans emerged in the joint conversations. Based on this thought and reacting to the theme of freedom of travel, the body becomes a platform for exhibition - the power over the vaccine in the centre of the body and on the much more sensitive spot a country that is so strongly shaken by the pandemic.
As part of our process we also talked about an eyewitness testimony from Júlia Iwanaga about how she experienced racism in relation to the Covid Pandemic. We are pleased to be permitted to make it available here.
Title
Thoughts
Unfolds me to the Unknown
This work carries the feeling of being in between two cultures, of belonging and not belonging at the same time. Sometimes, this feeling enters in a "blind spot". It blurs. It gets confusing. It changes the roles, as if I was wrong and treated as a "criminal" for not being an European. I want to question the blind spot, the fragile in between of “hospitable vs hostile” which reaches my body in an overlapping of memories and testimonies. Unfolds me into this unknown place through a dance embedded by personal gestures emerging whereas I cannot say anymore where it has started or ended.
The strawberry field
The body trapped within imposed limits and boundaries reflects the generally oppressed side of marginalized and diverse people. How boundaries affect the human body and by whom they are established? Minorities, who are constantly attacked by the hostile societies, are fighting to secure their rights. Restriction and devaluation of human value have specific effects on the bodies. Why do we devour each other and what will happen if we cross the line?
Parasites
May I invite you in my body?
Can a body become a shelter?
Covid Score: Be hospitable and stay away.
ForceD
Is it a question about freedom? In times of the pandemic, a new freedom of travel for holders of a vaccination certificate with Covid vaccination is discussed in Europe. In contrast, a new mutation is named after the Brazilian place of discovery. People from Covid hotspots are now met with more hostility.
