[transcript from performances]
i've been thinking about the distance
between our opinions and actions
i want to understand what triggers our empathy
what makes us care
and then what makes us realize those feelings
by actually engaging, or not
distance offers a place to hide
i wonder when it’s a necessary act of self care
to hide from what we know
or to look away
to avoid the risk of gaining more knowledge
which might be hard to ignore
i wonder what i should be able to see
what knowledge i should be able to handle
but
a wise friend of mine told me that
“should” is a bad word
as it’s passive and harsh and judging
so I’m trying to stop using it against myself
[pulls up shirt up and shows care label]
These are called care labels
i’ve been cutting them off of my clothes, for as long as i can remember really,
i thought i was doing it because they are uncomfortable
against my skin
but I’ve realized it’s maybe mainly a mental / moral motivation
next to the care instructions
production country is usually stated
i'm not gonna talk about that
i'm not gonna bring any facts
because
i believe that everyone in here knows enough already
about the production sites
at the other end of our economic system
that we know enough to feel that nobody we care about
should have to work or live under such conditions
i find it ironic
that they are called care labels
that we are instructed to take care of garments
that are often produced to be cheap enoughto break and be replaced quickly
by brands that are not taking care of the people
working for them
or working for us
I’m trying to figure out my role as an individual in this global system
[cutting care label off from own shirt]
Now I'm collecting these
as art-project-material
the ones that i collect from others will keep my own ones company
so i’m asking you
to cut care labels from your clothes
and give them to me
…(and then it ended a bit differently depending on the situations, but usually something like)
I've brought scissors and i´ll be here,
so come up to me afterwards if you want to!
the first 4 out of 21 events were documented here:
https://www.instagram.com/collecting_care_labels/