with.me
installationsound
audience
Western society often suggested that being alone must be equal to being lonely. This is reinforced by the proliferation of 'connected' online environments and advertising delivering the message that being alone creates isolation, loneliness and unhappiness. Psychiatrist Anthony Storr believes that without time alone, our ability to connect to others can be compromised, reflecting contemporary maladies of being time-poor, stressed or unhappy.
This work questions this state of play in our contemporary society. Is being alone equal to being lonely? Does alone-ness allow us to connect more deeply with others? Is loneliness actually about agency and isolation? What does this mean for each of us?
The format of this work varies depending on the installation space. It comprises a number of chairs that 'whisper' to the audience as they approach. The chairs then start to speak when the audience are seated. They tell stories of being alone and lonely - they invite the audience to be 'with' the speaker who is telling their story, reflecting on moments throughout their life.
The table similarly invites the audience closer by whispering. Upon seating, the audience is invited to rest their head on a pillow and get closer to the story-teller; invited to rest into the story and connect with the absent story-teller.
The table and chairs tell stories of isolation, migration, loneliness as well as the joys of alone-ness and finding moments of being intentionally alone.
| This work was presented as part of OPEN SPACES at Abbotsford Convent in The Salon space, on the 9th & 10th of November from 12-5pm. | |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis work has been funded by the Stonnington City Council and the Australia Council for the Arts and is a co-production with Swinburne University of Technology and the Abbotsford Convent. | CREATIVE TEAM Choreographer / Director / Interviews Clare Dyson Lighting Mark Dyson Photomedia Kelly Hussey-Smith Interactive technology Toby Gifford Kim Vincs Producer Kath Papas Kath Papas Productions Photography Arun Munozz This work was made around a series of interviews from the general public discussing aloneness and loneliness. The artistic team wish to acknowledge these contributions and thank the individuals for their generosity. |