Simon Senn Interview on Indechs.org

One branch of the Cultural Avenue is indechs.org; an online platform for contemporary culture.

Could you tell us a bit about your practise, please?  My art projects deal with human behaviour and interaction patterns. I’m interested in exploring group dynamics and individual behaviour in a context I define. The specific contexts that I set up, seek to emphasise aspects of societal settings in such a way that behaviours are being accentuated and radicalised. For doing so, volunteers are gathered in a chosen setting, where they act and react, within prescribed guidelines. Those situations that I create generate images that are the content of my works.   You are recognised mainly as a video artist – however, all of your works evolve out of performances where you, as the artist take a step-back in and become an observer just like the audience in the end. How would you categorise your work?  In my practise, the decision-making happens before and after an event or a “performance” happens. Before, I set up the parameters of the situation; I choose the participants, a location and give instructions to the participants. Then something happens and I’m the first audience to witness the result. And then from that point I do a lot of editing, deciding how I want to eventually show this material.  One widely discussed tendency in contemporary art history is the term of relational aesthetics as originally introduced by Nicholas Bourriaud in the 90s. It describes the tendency to make art based on, or inspired by human relations and their social context. Your works tend to involve anonymous everyday people and your interest lies in the analysis of human behaviour and their interaction. Where does this interest stem from?  I’m not a big fan of Bourriaud’s relational aesthetics theory because it sort of claims in a sense that art can save people from social misery in a world where everybody stopped interacting. I’m very interested to explore human relations exploring dissensus and antagonism and that seems to be ignored in Bourriaud’s text. I remember when I was in art school doing a one week workshop with Rirkrit Tiravanija, I lost interest when he explained how his works were facilitating “high moments” for the participants as opposed to “not that high moments” that they have in daily life.  A common critique of this notion is that of becoming a voyeur rather than merely an observer and thereby almost showcasing the people involved. It is a fine line, especially when highlighting critical social imbalances like you do in some of your works.  What is your opinion on this and how do you keep the balance? Do you try to keep a balance?  In my practise when I have an idea, I try not to stop doing something because of an alleged political incorrectness. No I don’t necessarily try to keep a balance as I think it would compromise my work. I don’t want to hide critical social imbalances because it is there anyway and I think it is important to address this specific issue.  Click here to read the complete Interview on Indechs.org