Stick Apart

The interaction between the artist, the artwork and the viewer is important for Plotnikova’s creative method. For the first time, the artist showed this work in Oxford (Great Britain) while studying at Brooks University—it can be repeated many times with people from a different context. Last year it was held in Kyiv on the Maidan Square, this year it was re-enacted with people who took part in the Revolution of Dignity.
Wooden sticks are held by the pressure of performers’ bodies, which move slowly in one direction. To make the connection more reliable a performer should increase pressure, which can hurt another performer. However, if there is not enough pressure the connection breaks. During the performance, participants examine the limits of tension, which are intrinsic for collective action. Reproduced with Maidan participants, performance attempts to reflect on the changes after the 2013—2014 events.