States of isolation: The world from the windows of my room

About the workshop

 

"The world that we know goes into oblivion" – whether one agrees with this statement or not, the current crisis affects us all. With the severity and realness of the situation, we are also allowed to think about the value of existing social agreements, the future of interpersonal relationships, and our future as a species. The feeling of isolation that we have to face right now - each of us in their own way - has become a bonding force for us all. We indeed live in a state of emergency (both politically and mentally). We would like to explore both the cultural and personal experiences of states of isolation and virtual togetherness through this workshop session.

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Our workshop participants will have an opportunity to scrutinise their current experiences. We will study the reality surrounding us today and use our observations as a record of a unique time in history. We will start with questions about the future of a global village and free cultural exchange. We will focus on one's view of the outside world, which – during an imposed state of isolation – is available only through a window, whether a virtual window of an electronic interface or the window of our offline existence. Most of us are familiar with their own view, but are we aware of others' perspective, and does the seemingly unchanged outside reality conceal some changes that await us?