Wojciech Bąkowski
Strong Life
In his performance, Wojciech Bąkowski takes on board the tea making ritual. The artist takes it apart and dissects it, particularly on the audio level, isolating and amplifying sounds such as the turning on of the electric kettle, the pouring of the water or the tapping of the teaspoon on the side of the cup. A mundane activity has been exposed to the public, acquiring the dimension of a spectacular show. Here, the tiniest gesture, which normally goes unnoticed during the performance of such a trivial task, is scrutinised and exaggerated, and perhaps also invested with extra significance thanks to the presence of the artist and the venue where it is taking place – the Centre for Contemporary Art. The viewer will only be able to observe the situation from the outside, watching it through one of the windows of Ujazdowski Castle, where for the four days, each day at the same time, the artist will appear. Bąkowski admits that one of the inspirations behind this performance was the micro-spectacles of mechanical clocks with their mobile figures of saints, knights and the Grim Reaper, which hypnotically transfix passers-by. To what extent will – as the artist writes – ’life itself in its most ordinary manifestations‘ turn out to be hypnotic?
Performance could be seen from outside the Ujazdowski Castle (left side). Please arrive on time.
