Krzysztof Wodiczko “Freedom: aboveground dialogue.” About the creation process

Abstract

The text describes the course of work on the project “Wolność: dialog nadziemny” (Freedom: Above Ground Dialogue), realized by Krzysztof Wodiczko in cooperation with the Laznia Center for Contemporary Art in Gdansk in October 2023. The author collaborated with the artist in developing the concept and during the creation of the social part of the project. The work consisted of a video installation with excerpts from the statements of people, entering into a dialogue with each other on topics that were related to their identity or left a significant mark in their lives. Participants included two mothers belonging to different generations, people of faith – a Roman Catholic and a priest who left the Roman church for another community, an employee and an employer, a senior citizen and a young gay man, a heteronormative woman and a non‑binary person, as well as an adult with intellectual disability and his mother. An important element was the consultation of the next stages of implementation, and the influence of the participants on the selection of the final version of the material. Wodiczko’s method assumes the full inclusion of the participating people, hence in the case of Freedom the artistic process was combined with a participatory process. Testimonies given in public should be given to witnesses, i.e. the audience. To describe the realized process, I use the term “dialogue with an open heart,” which means radical openness to the other person.