How important is it to have meaningful interactions in public space and what are the possibilities to meet strangers in times of the pandemic? Hello Stranger is a research project that challenges the growing individualisation of European city-centres by practising public interactions with strangers. Especially, in time of the Covid-19 restrictions, spontaneous encounters with people who we do not know are decreasing.
Call for participants:
In line with the project Hello Stranger you are invited to join a public space workshop/performance from where ever you are on the 27th of March (4 hours, 12:00 - 16:00). Due to Covid-19 measures, the workshop will be partly online. In the first part, the group will meet in Zoom and together explore the concept of ‘public’. Following this, we will go into the city and engage with passers-by. Afterwards, the group will meet again online and share their experiences. Throughout the workshop, the facilitating artist will help participants with useful communication tools and raise questions about the potential of public space for social life.
Practicalities:
The workshop will carefully follow the Covid-19 measures at the time.
All activities and interactions will be one-on-one and take place in open space to assure the safest conditions for the participants and passers-by. Participation is open to everyone and is free of charge. The workshop will be held in English or German according to the preference of the participants
How to apply:
We would like to ask you to send an email (English or German) in that you shortly introduce yourself and share your interest to join the workshop to dimitrivandenwittenboer@gmail.com by the 23th of March.
About the artist:
Dimitri van den Wittenboer is a performance artist and researcher based in Amsterdam. In his collaborative practice, Dimitri explores the potential of social interactions while critically questioning the current forms of encounters in our society. Recently Dimitri’s artistic research focuses on public space. He uses the format of the workshop to explore the potential of public interaction among strangers to challenge the individualisation of public centres.