(…) Behind Togetherness

The (…) Behind Togetherness cycle of meetings has been inspired by the notion that collective practice is like an unfinished text which should always have (always has) a subtitle, an imperceptible annotation. Reading collectivity is a complex process – we feel an itch to have a look at lines that follow, at words that have not been said or gestures that have not been made, to see what is behind the thick wall of the term “collectively”. Penetration of the structure of this text allows going beyond the unity of multitudes as well as, perhaps, discerning the polyphony that might not always be audible as (…) Behind Togetherness is based on the idea of collectiveness as a multitude of unities, on the never-ending process of redefining oneself and the community one is a constituent part of, rather than simply being surrounded by it. Similarly to authorship, participation can be understood as occupying a place, which helps making the endless migration of attitudes / assumed roles which are of interest to us more apparent. They can be detected in the movements observed at the meeting point of the tectonic plates of “group-motion-community”. Following certain intuition of language, it seems that the difference it expresses must indicate and evidence significant diversities which we wish to address during our meetings.

Getting lost in a group/community may provide a chance of hearing the new voice of one’s own, which can at times sound alarmingly strange. (…) Behind Togetherness is devoted to the process of work which absorbs and “incorporates” other people, creators/co-creators or participants in the effort.

 

The continual change of roles may be a necessity or an expression of a longing for another dimension. Even slight fluctuations in the position in regard to the group or oneself may lead to critical shifts, also with respect to work that appears to be repeatable and reproductive but eventually develops into a turning point that makes all the difference for the creative (?) idea. During our meetings we are going to focus on a whole range of nuances, starting from execution and discreet assistance to the voice of the author.

All these questions concentrate in one specific place – a cultural institution. It reflects an entire spectrum of tensions related to collective and nonmaterial work as well as being together and the question of the friendly nature of work.