 |
Nevin Aladag: Occupation Shedhalle, 2009
The opening speech of the curators was “perforated”, interrupted. Withdrawn and very concentrated at the same time, some of the visitors begin to dance while the audience is still listening attentively. Soon thereafter, one can hear music, softly at first, then the sound level is increased. There are, at first, five, then ten, then 15, in the end approximately 50 people (of various ages) dancing between or around the listeners and viewers. They simply move to the music, without any obvious choreography, just as if they were in a disco. After a while others are whetted to dance, too, they join the dance until, at last, the whole audience is dancing, until the opening of the exhibition has finally turned into a dancing occupying all the exhibition space. How easy or how difficult is it to gather people, to enthuse them, to inspire them, enchant them with an idea, persuade them, win them for one common action. How does (a) “community” evolve and to what end? With whom? Would you participate? The performance or interventions of Nevin Aladag could be called “Communities of the moment”, which is the title of one of her earlier performances, too. In variedly conceived actions, the artist investigates the participation in and the reflection of a place or space and/or situation. She focuses on the experience of participation, of the moment of the realisation of a collective action and the power it can have.
The performance “Occupation Shedhalle 2009” at the opening reception of the exhibition “Im/Possible Community” emphasises the central topics of Aladag’s work, i. e. the formation of communities and intercultural communication, as well as the role music and dance (can) play in this process.
http://www.gitteweisegallery.com/aladag/index.html
 |
|
|
|
im/possible community