Original spaces / Legalized gestures

Sunday, October 11th, we invite you at Casa Hintz for the launch of the book „Spații originale / Gesturi legalizate” („Original Spaces / Legalized Gestures”). An exhibition-book, in which Victor Bartiș deconstructs and reconstructs, in a (relatively permanent) the eponymous (ephemeral) performative installation and exhibition at /SAC @ MALMAISON, created by Simona Dabija, Ioana Marchidan, Rucsandra Pop, Dimitrie Gora, Maria Ghement, Justin Baroncea, Alexandru Suciu, and Alex Radu.

I have inherited, you have inherited, he/she has inherited, we have inherited, you have inherited, they have inherited. The project „Spații originale / Gesturi legalizate”, initiated by /SAC, takes this verb as its starting point, which an interdisciplinary creative team has declined in various ways across multiple spaces in Bucharest, Cluj and Baia Mare. During the launch, we will explore this verb together.

At its core, „Spații originale / Gesturi legalizate” is a performative installation that brings into dialogue physical and emotional objects inherited by the performers Ioana Marchidan and Simona Dabija with the artistic works of Dimitrie Gora. Alex Radu curated this multilayered creative process. The exhibition space was designed by Maria Ghement and Justin Baroncea, the soundscape was created by Alexandru Suciu, and the dramaturgical process was coordinated by Rucsandra Pop. Through all these contributions, the exploration of the idea of inheritance and identity reconstruction - both personal and collective - takes on the value of a ritual of reflection and community regeneration. The title alludes to a different cultural legacy: the novel by 1980s writer Gheorghe Crăciun, „Acte originale / Copii legalizate” („Original Documents / Legalized Copies”).

„Referring to the title of the installation, which paraphrases the title of a novel, it encapsulates and reflects central concerns of our curatorial program. „Original Spaces” refers to the desire to create new spaces, specific to each installation and theme, which do not replace but rather draw upon the contextual space (place/institution/history/cultural and social value, etc.). „Legalized Gestures” refers to our interest in the ways in which performative actions/gestures can become memorable - and why not, even iconic - images.” (Alex Radu)

The book contains images from the performance and rehearsals, the dramaturgical text, the movement scores and descriptions that the two performers used to construct the show, as well as texts by team members about the creative process. It can serve both as a guide for staging the performance installation and as a legacy offered to the community. The book is a carefully crafted object by designer Victor Bartiș, who has preserved the dynamism and physicality of the performance installation. The launch is an opportunity for shared reflection on this theme that concerns us all.

„On one hand, what the audience saw; on the other hand, the process of getting there - narrated, written, explored in essays, and articulated through movement. I felt how, as a designer, I became a director and wove into the narrative thread moments that ‘you remember’ in the presence of first-person words; then we ‘relive’ the entire performance, graphically synchronized down to the millimeter with the soundtrack of his text, after which we return. And in between, visual ‘moments’ found in the book’s text and recreated graphically.” (Victor Bartiș)

The editorial project was co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The project does not necessarily represent the official position of AFCN. AFCN shall not be held liable for the project's content or any use to which the project outcome might be put. These are the sole responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.

The project was carried out with the support of Cluj-Napoca City Hall and the Local Council.