In post-modern times, complete silence has become a phenomenon of the past, or at least something that is more romanticised than experienced. Especially in big cities, it’s almost impossible to enjoy moments of complete stillness – there’s always a shop open or someone roaming the streets.

Departing from this assumption, the project PUBLIC HOUSING carried out an interventionist practice in the public space of two big cities: Madrid in Europe and São Paulo in South America. By searching for so called “protective spaces” or “temporary shelters”, these cities served as a platform for creating a photographic series in which the body reenacted always the same position of lying on the ground. Inspired by the parkours movement, especially the so-called “planking”, this bodily position aimed not only to explore modes of dwelling and resting, but also to compose a visual language or, a sort of resting point amidst an urban environment.

Event Dates: March 2011, Myra Vidal Art Show, Madrid, SP; July/August 2012, Galeria Virgílio, São Paulo, BR

Credits: Concept and Performance: Nathalie S. Fari / Photography: Daniel Schäfer

Clip First Edition Madrid