Performative Drawing #2
'Living Ground Floors'
Artwork: Piknik
Location: Stocholm / Sweden
Production / Organization: Jenny Bergström, Oskar Röhlander,  Maria Kron, Jana Becker , Carl Johansson, Ninni Luthin-Kärling, Asta Rantanen, John Anton Sjöström
Carpenter: John Anton Sjöström
Sponsor: Swedish Institute, Equator
Piknik Works, which aims to conduct experiments on space and drawing practices in the works it produces, is going to Stockholm with the invitation of Swedish Institute between 11-15 November for the second step of the 'Performative Drawing' series. With the theme of Living Groundfloors, the aim of the study is to fill the place with daily life-inspired stories and thoughts through a continuous drawing until the opening on Friday, November 15th. The purpose of this adventure, which sees drawing as an activating action of both body and space, is to intensify the creative process and to take it to the extremes of the boundaries, to discover the hidden connections between physical-mental transformation and space-drawing.
The first performance in January 2019 took place on Istiklal Street, in the consulate chapel, hidden in the garden of the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul, where few people were aware of its existence. Piknik Works, who lived in the chapel for three days, drew 72 hours nonstop and covered all interior surfaces with contemporary frescoes inspired by cave walls, church paintings and art history.
Content / Concept
Drawing directly into space as a storytelling practice is not something new to human. In fact it can be said that it is in our nature to paint on walls. In prehistoric times, humans reflected their observations on their daily life with drawings on the walls of the caves, where they lived, while hunting and gathering with the intention of continuing their life. Thanks to them, we know a bit of their story. This phenomenon can also be traced back to the paintings, drawings and patterns that reflect the culture and teachings on the walls and ceilings of the public and (mostly) religious structures in the history. As Performative Drawing is -ultimately- considered as a chapel painting process, Piknik strived to tell the story of our times, considering how our culture and everyday life changed with internet, social media, biotechnology and so on by painting and drawing on the walls with an improvisational manner. This narrative can also be read as a contemporary fresco, with many references and reinterpretations of the history of art and the precedents of spatial drawing practice.


Exhibition
Process
Concept
Conceptual Visualisation of the Performance
Conceptual Visualisation of Entrance