How are you? – Reflection of the state of the individual

My work assembles the fragments of the city into a whole and in the end results in a representation of the pandemic city from an inside perspective of the individuals.
In times of pandemic, pillars of a healthy mind, such as social interaction with friends and relatives and diversity on different levels, have become less important, while other areas have come to a standstill.
We move between regulations and are subject to restrictions, resulting in limited freedom of expression. On top of that, our condition as a collective is evaluated in terms of rising and falling infection rates.
In my own environment, I have experienced that these conditions are not bearable for everyone, and a look at the current increase in depression cases underscores all too well that we should pay more attention to the well-being of individuals.
My work is an invitation to exchange, ending in a communication between 2 anonymous, between 2 unknown faces. I did not want this exchange to be lost once as a small interaction, and I wanted to capture the reactions of the residents in different videos of the different parts of the city.
A city is much more than its vertical and horizontal structure of different materials. I want to depict an aspect of the city that transcends metaphysical spaces: The reflection of the state of the individual.
The box, which can be seen in this video, was placed in different areas of the city centre from Monday to Friday and formed the basis for further elaboration of the areas of the “public transport” as well as the subcategory of the public spaces “plazas”. It contained a little piece of wood with a QR code, which informed about my Intention and as well showed a map with the next locations.
The utilization of the answers was done via a text-to-speech voice to avoid a hirarchy in the valence of the answers. I must admit that it was difficult for me in some places and I hope that the residents will not hold it against me that I have robotized their thoughts and feelings. I would have liked to put in my feelings, because some of the residents’ answers touched me deeply, but that is not compatible with my concept. I want you to evaluate what you hear in the audios yourself, regardless of my perception and opinion.
In support of this work, responses were also collected through an online survey. This was accessed via signs that had QR codes on them. The online survey responses were shorter and were used in the “Decamp”, while the longer responses were used in the public transportation areas, as well as in the other section of the public spaces.