Time stops. Time stands still. Time is interrupted, ruptured, and cracked. Time is given, taken, and stolen. Time is on our side. Time is moving slowly. Time goes by so fast. If we only had the time… How was your time today?
Time is something to consider at Wanås Konst. How long did it take you to get here? What is the time that it would take you to get to a sculpture? How long would you spend with it? How would it change your perception of time passing? And in what ways do we spend time with each other here in this place? We have preconceived notions of time’s capacity to act upon us, be caught or controlled, given, or shared. In what ways can live art bend our perception of time? In what way does live art challenge the notion of time in a visual arts institution? The work Still Untitled by Xavier Le Roy with Scarlet Yu investigates the incompatibility between the conventions of live art and sculpture to produce a work where different times can coexist.
In 2016, Wanås Konst began actively making performance and dance a part of the program. Not just a one-time event, but a long-term investment in live art, art that must be experienced in the moment and requires your presence then and there. Through Still Untitled we continue to challenge the notion of live art in the visual arts context with the consistent and persistent presence of the Still Untitled team. Rather than programming a series of one-off performances we allow the work of Le Roy and Yu to unfold, shift, and be shifted by the participation of Wanås’ visitors in and around the park. We extend the lifespan of the work indefinitely, as each visitor walks away from the sculpture park with his or her own embodied sculpture, to be potentially present anywhere, anytime, for anyone.
– Rachel Tess
Still Untitled is made possible with the support of Swedish Arts Council, Skåne Regional Council, MARC, Goethe-Institut Schweden, L'Institut français de Suède and ABF Skåne Nordost.