Suicide is a form of expression to communicate a message. Primarily it is a social phenomenon in terms of the breakdown of the vital bond of life; it is not an individual act or a personal action. It is caused by some power that is over and above the individual. One who commits a suicide is nothing else than the director of a play in which there are an actor and a stage. The body is the actor, the stage is the contest. The decisions are final in many of these cases; in so far death is the lowest common denominator. There are various suicide types (romantic, exhibitionist, apathetic, ideological), for which each one hides a message (guilt, revenge, blackmail, disappointment...) into a specific form. The body –– even the death body, is the element which confers life to this message.
Suicide methods can be classified according to two modes of interrupting one's life processes: physical or chemical. Chemical methods of suicide produce latent evidence of action, whereas physical methods provide direct evidence –– body and stage carry the message. Savona and Sto’s project consists in representing five forms of suicide: Seppuku, hanging, drowning, poisoning and wrist cutting. The intention of their piece is to capture the intimate emotions and solitude within which one might be overwhelmed at the point to decide to interrupt life. To sleep, perchance to dream. To hold back emotions, thoughts, feelings... to hide them, to dream –– or to commit a suicide.
This piece is about understanding the phenomenon on social rather than on biological or personal factors, the main drawback is that one has laid too much stress only on one factor, namely social factor and has forgotten or undermined other factors, thereby making the decision only one sided.
This work is all about Life and Passion.
“Nowadays, suicide is just a way of disappearing. It is carried out timidly, quietly, and falls flat. It is no longer an action, only a submission.”
The project was interrupted and the Kickstarter campaign ended as well. Two photographs were printed for the exhibition at the Broadway Gallery.
Sound: Daft Punk, On Off - Four Tet, Our Bells
TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO DREAM at Broadway Gallery
473 Broadway
7th Floor New York, NY 10013
www.broadwaygallerynyc.com
