Circle of Influence

On April 5th 2020, the “You open a Box” collective conducted a two-hour-long live stream in the backyard of the Cité internationale des arts. During the live streamed performance the artists created a spatial drawing of seven circles. The size of the circles is based on the distance recommendations of the health authorities during the national quarantine in Paris. Through a loop hole, the performance thus circumvents the ban on assembly, and at the same time makes the forced social distancing visible. The shared experience of being thrown back into one‘s own sphere and the need for space, for movement, friction, confrontation and self-empowerment together form the motivations for the performance.