THE INTIMACY OF OTHERNESS (2023-)

"The Intimacy of Otherness" is a durational transmedia multisensory performance lecture about Risba's radical self-healing from Multiple Sclerosis (2012-19) through guerrilla art interventions, dances of urgency and different bliss-inducing techniques. These practices included clubbing, (self-)hypnosis and erotic expression.

In the first act of the work (Act 1: Composting in the more-than-human world. Finding stillness on the refuge tree) , the artist shares their lived experience while laying in stillness on a suspended tree trunk. By re-enacting indoor, for the very first time, their remarkable performance "Be-coming Tree", the artist embodies and unveil some of the qualities that need to be acquired in order to turn the seemingly "impossible" (healing etc.) into an “I'm possible” reality.

The script of the performance lecture is spoken out by different AI generated voices. Parallelly to the speech, there is a cinematic size projection with a selection of videos of Risba’s past art interventions, performances or video works that contextualize the story. The second Act of the piece is narrated by the artist’s cloned voice. It addresses the topics of the absent father effect on children and the devastating effects of patriarchy for all beings, while exploring the materiality and artistic possibilities of hypodermic needles.

The Intimacy of Otherness - Act 1 has been produced and premiered at the Y: Survive! event at Divadlo X10 in Prague in November 2023 and presented in Singapore (March 2024) and Celje, Slovenija (June 2024). The Act 2 has been developed during the House of Research 2024 artist residence at Studio Alta in June 2024 and premiered as a proof-of-concept performance at the Festival kvír vědomostí in Prague on the 29th of June 2024.

CREDITS
A project by and with Jatun Risba.
Photo: Oskar Helcel
Video editing: Franco G. Livera
With special thanks to Anna Chrtková, Petr Dlouhý, Mara Ševčíková, Simon Macuh, Divadlo X10, Studio Alta and Festival kvír vědomostí.