mariano sardón

elevator
Happening for a lift

It is familiar with the feeling of discomfort, intimidation, equivocation and hesitation that occurs when we share an elevator with other people.
It is the feeling occur when our intimate space is invaded by strangers that make us fell uncomfortable and the situation becoming unwieldy.

Elevator is an action executed by groups of immigrants and/or refugees suddenly entering an elevator when there are people inside ready to go up or down.
When a person enters the elevator and is available up suddenly before closing the door, begin to enter groups of aliens filling the elevator of people.

It is a metaphor of uncomfortable attitudes we take in the presence of a stranger who appears in our space of belonging. Refers to sometimes intricate, symbolic, cultural and judgment attitudes we make when we have to negotiate with others the space we feel belongs to us. The place of the body and social space at the presence of the stranger.
Crowding the elevator has the resemblance of those dense ships or transport where immigrants and refugees have moved from their original countries.

Guidelines:

1.
The action is designed for elevators, ideally transparent ones, but can be also closed elevators.

2.
The action may be carried out in different ways along one day. For instance schedule with a particular immigrant or refugees group for each day. That is, one day for African immigrants, another day for Asian immigrants, one for Arab countries etc.

3.
Immigrants and refugees would be hired for the performance day. The group is led by two trained people we call "directors". Although the action is very simple, also it needs to prepare a set of instructions that must be conducted by these trained persons.

Script:

1.
Immigrants must wander in areas close to the lift in order to pay attention the "directors" sign to start the action.

2.
By accessing people in the elevator, one of the "directors" of the action decides to run first entering the elevator and standing right in front of the control keypad.
This is the signal for starting the process of approaching and entering the elevator of the rest of performers, while the director stops the door and wait until the elevator is full.
This income may be slow or sudden; both situations have different connotations.

3.
This action is executed again and again, whenever the directors decide.

4.
Inside the elevator a simple choreography consisting rotate the position of the bodies (run video below) running in different directions.