Polish Performance Archive

Description by Filmoteka Muzeum

Excerpt from footage of a performance carried out by Jan Świdziński in Japan within the Nippon International Performance Art Festival NIPAF. The artist prepares the context of his action, he covers the table with a black cloth, puts a matching colour jacket on, veils a red curtain behind him and presents to the viewers a collection of objects-souvenirs that he had gathered. He comments on them by stating “it works” or “it doesn’t work” to the soundtrack of merry music. The author shows us the world of consumption that we know all-too-well from our reality – developed in detail, full of attractive objects that are supposed to “work”, be useful and affect our emotions and perception. Yet, is it really so? The artist lets us know what works and what does not – according to him, but what about us? Having shown everything he has, he hides the items one by one to his suitcase as the performance comes to an end.

(ZK)