Silence – Erica, Jeana and Diana

We are creating an environment in which we are acknowledging the existence of a collective silence. In the past, silence has been viewed as a means to disagree with oppositions. In our world today, how can we use the silence? And if the silence is loud enough, will it prompt a change?

Silence can take on many meanings, for some collective groups around the world such as Act Up, “Silence = Death,’ for others silence can be a transformative state in which we find peace and clarity, but in our environment we are acknowledging silence as medium to break the silence itself.

We are inspired by Lygia Page’s work Divisor from 1968 in which “participants struggle between individualism and solidarity with the collective experience.”^[1] The cohesive elements within the participants gives a sense of community and a united moving front. In our experience we would like to add elements to the space for the individual to feel part of a larger group, while also remembering their individual role in the process. At this time we are considering no audio to emphasize the silence, however as a group we are still brainstorming materials and sounds that could bring this experience to life.

 [1] “Lygia Pape, Divisor”, Parasite. http://www.para-site.org.hk/en/programmes/lygia-pape-divisor