By carrying an object like your personal duvet or pillow, you become tangible. You show your innermost being to the outside world. We connect with our objects and make them an expression of our personality. We become attached to them and present them like a personal property. For this performance, duvet-like forms were developed and I carry this tangible bedding outwards. Just as we present ourselves personally online every day, I take my personal sleeping journey outside to enact my dreams. The performance, however, takes place in an internet-free alpine landscape.
In the reclusive time of the pandemic state of emergency, we have learned to recognise the online world as real. The private no longer takes place only in the now and in secret, much is brought to the outside. But where do the boundaries lie? Does privacy still exist at all? Do we consciously ask ourselves this question? Do we no longer want to be alone? Is it fulfilling to share without being seen? The digital world has brought us a wealth of possibilities, but also a challenge to our personal intimacy. It seems that the balance between the need for social connection and the desire for privacy is becoming increasingly blurred. As we present ourselves in a world that is permanently connected, we should consciously ask ourselves how we want to define and protect our personal boundaries. We may crave moments of solitude and retreat to reflect on ourselves and explore our own thoughts and dreams. It is important to find a space where we can feel free and carefree without being constantly observed. Because ultimately we should be able to decide for ourselves how much of ourselves we want to reveal to the world and when we withdraw our personal duvets back into the protective zone of our privacy.
With the help of a video performance, I immerse myself in the theme of private display. Pillows and blankets are transformed into costumes, into masks of ourselves. This idea developed further into a series of performances captured through video in the midst of nature. In these recordings we explore the tension between the desire for public display and the need for retreat and intimacy. The environment of nature serves as a backdrop, allowing both a connection to the outside world and a space for personal reflection. The videos reveal how we wear our personal duvets and pillows, symbolically externalising our identity. This performance series explores the nuances of the public and private self, while encouraging us to reflect on the implications and limitations of personal presentation. By combining the public space of nature with the symbolic use of bedding, new perspectives are opened up on the subject of privacy, identity and individual selfhood.
