Happening at the AGORA Collective in Berlin, Germany
The Waiting Room was a collaborative artistic happening, held as the culmination of a month-long module on "The Artistic Mission: What is the role of the artist in a for-profit economy?" In this module, the 12 participants discussed various themes relating to how an artist works in our current society. We investigated how these themes, ideas and principles affect our personal artistic practice.
Each participant responded to their experience of the module by hosting a room during the happening, each with a different occurrence for visitors to experience. Rooms varied from engaging in an impromptu job interview to participating in a colorful party in a van. In my dark and dingy basement room I acted as the psychotherapist, presenting Rorschach images and word associations to explore the visitor's subconscious mind. I then drew extreme conclusions for a mental disorder diagnosis, such as anorexia, narcolepsy, or schizophrenia. The exercise was an example of how we make assumptions about a person's entire character based on the few pieces of information we know about them.
Photography by Joana Dias
