Interwoven Threads: The Art of Community and Sensory Expansion Favorite 

Practitioner: 

Date: 

Sep 1 2023

Location: 

Chengdu, China

Sebastián Mahaluf stands out as an artist deeply engaged in weaving the complex threads of human connection, community, and the interplay of personal and collective experiences. His notable work, "CONTRADICTION AND TENSION," showcases his approach to art as a participatory experience that bridges individual perceptions with communal narratives. Through performance and visual storytelling, Mahaluf invites his audience to explore the nuances of connectivity and the spaces we share, encouraging a reflective journey into the essence of our collective existence.

Below are the insights that Mahaluf offers into "CONTRADICTION AND TENSION":

"The performance is more than the externalization of an artist's ideas, it means being able to develop in the process the ideas that trigger the possibilities of continuing to deepen the meaning of what we create. Therefore my ideas have to do with the relationship with others, with the community, with contexts, with spaces, with history. My ideas place me in the search for these relationships. Build a bond, build a space through a line that connects me with the other.

I wouldn't talk about obstacle. I would talk about expansion of senses.

Just as we are unique, the way we perceive is also unique. In collective thinking there is the possibility of weaving together common ideas to delve into common senses. Something like a belief system. We believe in history, we believe in the content that a ceramic vase could have. We believe in the meaning of a seed, which may blossom. We believe in a hug. So these beliefs allow us to connect with something that goes through the “possible problems” of communication. The performative act and the experience transcend.

That fleeting is beautiful. It is what each one will keep in his memory. I was lucky to have a lot of documentation, both video and photography, which I will edit to share through my website, and perhaps in a future exhibition.

Improvisation and the unexpected are part of performance, and they are events that must be taken care of and valued, because they allow us to expand the notions of what is contained in the ideas."

External sources: 

https://www.mahaluf.net/copia-de-expansion
Posted by Raeeee on Mar 25 2024

Staff rating: 

0

Effectiveness

How does this project help?

Activates (people)Energizes and organizes people into action. Can include emotion work

Timeframe For change

This project seems to be part of a campaign with a clear short-term goal. Short-term goals tend to be things like: create or repeal a law; get a President impeached; make the city administration repair a sidewalk. A campaign with a short-term goal needs a clear theory of change, complete with targets that can be cajoled or pressured into effecting the goal.
The short-term goal of "CONTRADICTION AND TENSION" was to foster immediate engagement and sensory expansion among participants and viewers. By utilizing elastic bands and seeds within a performative setting, Mahaluf aimed to create a shared, immersive experience that highlights the interconnectedness of individuals with their community and environment.
This project seems to be part of a campaign with a clear long-term goal. Long-term goals tend to be things like: end racism; end homophobia; make the sun stand still in the sky. A campaign with a long-term goal also needs to have some kind of theory of change.
Over the long term, Mahaluf seeks to deepen communal bonds and contribute to a collective consciousness that values interconnectedness, historical awareness, and the potential for communal and individual growth.

Notes

Mahaluf's work encourages a broader dialogue on the themes of connectivity and communal identity. The project's success lies in its ability to intertwine art with life, prompting reflection and discussion on the complex layers of human connections and the spaces we inhabit.