To own it. To identify with your work. To make clear the project would not be the same or even exist if not with you. Does your work mirror you or do you mirror your work?
Going into a project like this enough fears abound. Looking back on projects I have completed during the last three years I realized a certain urge counteract a lack of provocation. Of course provocation for its own sake will quicky become gratuitous, though I would claim that keeping the angle of provocation in the back of ones head can be fruitful, mainly reminding oneself to be bold in ones work. Generally I feel I have to question my motives as to which ones futher the point of a project. For instance, one goal that I have seen come up again and again is the drive to make the most of the infrastructure present at ZHdK. Of course this is not relevant to a projects thematics, but it can be important to acknowledge these wishes and see what they could infer. Within these sometimes inspiration can be found and it helps being in touch with what one desires.
Democracy thrives through the active participation of a wide and diverse swath of the population. This becomes especially evident in semi direct democracies such as one finds in Switzerland. However, many countries have faced problems of low voter turnouts, especially amongst young voters. For one, this can be caused by insecurities concerning the complexity of issues one votes on. In Switzerland we see efforts to support young voters in the style of platforms such as EasyVote, simplifying the thematic and the process, as well as structural efforts such as trying to introduce an earlier voting age. However, most of these focus on federal issues. And can be hard to adapt to local issues. Talking to peers, many have mentioned that they do not actively participate in local politics, for a myriad of reasons. These partially centre around a lack of time, not ascribing enough importance to it in order to join the Assemblies if they are how politics are orchestrated and a general view of...
Iranian protest poster, Green Revolution, 2009 - source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2009/nov/04/iran-student-day-protests What areas of interest intersect and drive me to create and take part in projects, where might these internal paths converge? Some may be a theatrical approach, supporting freedom of speech and enabling the synthesis and exchange of ideas, making the invisible visible, the pursuit of a state of meditative immersion, distortion, pushing the boundaries of the macabre, some general impotent rage… Based amongst other things on the concept of intersectionality, activism becomes deeply entwined with ideas of identity, born both of group affiliation and personal positioning. Maybe it would be interesting to find paths here which stray from this link, maybe its intrinsic. Is building and codifying ones own identity a necessity for engagement, or what would come from pursuing more fluctuating concepts? Trying on identities is often part of building for inst...
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