Artists ALEXANDMUSHI will perform their “Chair Conversations” in the Villa San Francisco. Following the performance will be a Q & A session moderated by Rimma Boshernitsan, founder of DIALOGUE.

Link to watch on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 10AM: Click here

‘Chair conversations’ is a complex practice of communication using our bodies. It exists in many realms; as a durational practice over five years, as a marker of time and exploration of ‘other’ using the body as a vehicle, a secret journaling of each perspective withheld from even ourselves, it is performed in public spaces and institutions, and is a series of integrated images and videos. 

How does the language of touch operate as a mode of communication in our lives? All of us talk all day and all night. We know each other through words. To touch is simple, not requiring the intellect but only the senses. There are things that can’t be said with words but only touch. There is an emotional and physical space that is entered when we move someone’s body through our own thoughts and emotions. What is it like to be given a full opportunity to ‘speak’ and ‘hear’ using only the body, uninterrupted? What role does this language play in our lives? 

The structure of this project is simple. A chair is placed in a public space. Each person takes a turn in leading while the other must sit in the chair, eyes closed without moving. The other person communicates by moving and manipulating the sitting person’s body. Once done the roles are switched and it is the next person’s turn. The project is placed in both public and private sites in which the environment also impacts the exploration of the conversation being held. ‘Chair Conversations’ is durational: 20-40 minutes. This is an immersive and intimate psychological study of human connection.