action-performance for Caochangdi Village project, spring 2011
1) With the help of several artists and local people from Caochangdi village,the message would be spread around of an artistic action involving the local people 2) After having bought around 100 theatre white neutral masks, these will be ditributed among local artists, local village people and other people interested to take part in the action. In the village partecipation will be open to everybody, included authorities if willingly 3) At a fixed time of a fixed day all the people with a mask will be asked to wear the mask on the spot where they are in Caochangdi; in the street in their shops, at home, wherever. After wearing the mask from 3 to 5 minutes, all the participants will walk from where theya re to the Caochangdi sall central square. 4) Once arrived in the square, without interrupting their action and without paying attention to each other, everyone will take off his/her own mask and let it on the ground in a specific point prevously chosen and then go back to what he/she was doing before 5) the action should be slow and ritualistic but also fluid and uninterrupted, avoiding a big crowd to be at the same time in the same place with the mask,...everyone should just wear the mask, go the square and drop the mask and leave. This fluidity might guarantee uninterruption. 6) The simple gesture to own a mask, wear it and take it off it is a practice used in theatre to recognize the power of the amsk, and its meaning and function. By expanding without explanation this simple action to local people and others it should be possible for everyone to go through a powerfull symbolic experience. The whole process to submit oneself and validate authoritarian power, the doubts and fears involved and the potential courage to react to this could be integrated through a simple action.
The work has been conceived by Alessandro Rolandi in beijing in 2011 for a specific project oriented to the Caochangdi Art community in middle april 2011 involving several performances and action in the village's public space. It has been put in standby, most probably cancelled, by the same team who conceived it , due to the sensitivity of the situation and the actual serious risks. involved.
action-performance for Caochangdi Village project, spring 2011
1) With the help of several artists and local people from Caochangdi village,the message would be spread around of an artistic action involving the local people 2) After having bought around 100 theatre white neutral masks, these will be ditributed among local artists, local village people and other people interested to take part in the action. In the village partecipation will be open to everybody, included authorities if willingly 3) At a fixed time of a fixed day all the people with a mask will be asked to wear the mask on the spot where they are in Caochangdi; in the street in their shops, at home, wherever. After wearing the mask from 3 to 5 minutes, all the participants will walk from where theya re to the Caochangdi sall central square. 4) Once arrived in the square, without interrupting their action and without paying attention to each other, everyone will take off his/her own mask and let it on the ground in a specific point prevously chosen and then go back to what he/she was doing before 5) the action should be slow and ritualistic but also fluid and uninterrupted, avoiding a big crowd to be at the same time in the same place with the mask,...everyone should just wear the mask, go the square and drop the mask and leave. This fluidity might guarantee uninterruption. 6) The simple gesture to own a mask, wear it and take it off it is a practice used in theatre to recognize the power of the amsk, and its meaning and function. By expanding without explanation this simple action to local people and others it should be possible for everyone to go through a powerfull symbolic experience. The whole process to submit oneself and validate authoritarian power, the doubts and fears involved and the potential courage to react to this could be integrated through a simple action.
The work has been conceived by Alessandro Rolandi in beijing in 2011 for a specific project oriented to the Caochangdi Art community in middle april 2011 involving several performances and action in the village's public space. It has been put in standby, most probably cancelled, by the same team who conceived it , due to the sensitivity of the situation and the actual serious risks. involved.