Joy as a possibility of re-invention - 2016
"Joy as a possibility of re-invention" was realized in 'A Casa da Ladeira'. During ten days I stayed in the artistic residency, occupying with my work the inside and outside spaces of 'A Casa', located at Vila Brasilina in São Paulo city. The idea of the project was stablishing a contrast between the actual political crisis and disruptions with joyful and reverberating actions. The work was build in a body scale using and making relationship with whom and what I found. Based on the joy and the testimonies of neighbours, I created three intervention mechanisms that culminated in a happening, open to the general public in July 9th. The happening was called 'Joy as a revenge'.
The first intervetion mechanism that was created consisted in occupying 'A Casa' and the streets of the neighborhoor with statements from the testemonies. They are essencially resistence and joyful frases. I used them also in the performance "Top manta debaixo da ponte" (black marked under the bridge), which consisted in participating in a flea-market under the bridge of the Maria Maluf area, put the statements in a top of a blanket and exchange them for new testemonies.
'The boy in the midle of bushes' or 'Defense against abuses' was created from the testimony of a neighbour of Vila Brasilina. When she was 7 or 8 years old she created a method to protect herself from rapists and harassers. She dressed as a boy and hided at the bushes, where she shooted with a home-made slingshoot abusive men. Inspired in her history I produced slingshoots and put targets at the walls. In the openning day people interfered with the targets and practiced accuracy with the slingshoots.
'Joy as a revenge' open space to happening. A happening produces a rupture, a discontinuity in the present plain landscape. The rupture in the project was developed through the joy prism and influenced by the festive practice. From the gap created by 'Joy as revenge' emerged spontaneously music, choir and singing. There also appeared a clown who gave paper flowers to people, as well as a tuba-recital held by a musician in the public. People interacted with music, dancing and songs, but most with joy.
Parallel to this actions there were two proposals created with the aim of approaching the other works produced in the residency. The first I called 'Defense against abuses' and it was practicing accuracy with slingshots and targets. This experience was crossed by a text with a neighbour's testimony. The second approximation installed in the house was called ' joy exchange' and suggested people to take one joy statement in exchange of offering a new one.