New Year, Old Us
live performance with Aryana Sheibani and Persy-Lowis Bulayumi
duration: 6 minutes
19.01.2024, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Studio for Art and Intervention | Concept
New Year, Old Us was presented in January 2024 as part of the annual Rundgang at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. This collaborative work was created by myself, Aryana Sheibani, and Persy Lowis Bulayumi.
In the performance, Aryana and Persy wore Christmas sweaters embedded with light-up buttons, while I wore rings with finger extensions. Positioned opposite me, Aryana and Persy held their phones and, each time I pressed a button on their sweaters, they read aloud a sentence beginning with the phrase, “In 2023…”. The text combined global events from 2023 with personal incidents and experiences from our own lives. As the performance progressed, the pace gradually accelerated until Aryana and Persy spoke simultaneously, rendering the content unintelligible.
This performance invites critical reflection on how information is disseminated through the media, challenging the ephemeral and superficial ways in which we often engage with it. Each year, countless events unfold worldwide; while we may briefly encounter them through headlines or media coverage and momentarily engage with their significance, these stories soon fade from public consciousness as new events arise. Yet, the consequences of these occurrences persist—first and foremost for those directly affected and subsequently for society as a whole.
These events become part of our collective history, much like personal experiences shape individual beliefs, behaviors, and traumas. New Year, Old Us explores this dynamic interplay between the personal and the political, the ephemeral and the enduring.
CONTACT me to get access to the video documentation of the performance
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