EXPEDITION #2
The Corona crisis is drawing new boundaries; at the same time, it renders existing social borders visible. Places that otherwise escape public attention, such as old people’s homes, factories and slaughterhouses, receive public attention as ‘hot spots’. The closure of cinemas, clubs and universities makes us aware of the role they play in other forms of “contagion” – with ideas and enthusiasm. Society sustains itself through mutual affection. How can processes of exchange be instigated across barriers?
The expedition led by Anne von der Heiden, Jasmin Mersmann and Luana Bechstein (Dept. of Art History and Art Theory) investigated the current dynamics of places with restricted access. In order to explore inclusion-exclusion mechanisms, they were observed at three different times of the day: In the morning, the students observed operations of opening and closing, smuggled in self-made items in the afternoon to then check their effect in the evening, and thus experimented with forms of (social) infection beyond medical discourse.
