The communication researcher Vera F. Birkenbihl discovered that a conscious one-minute smile releases a large number of happiness hormones in people. But what happens if you hold a smile for longer than a minute? This question forms the starting point for the video work SMILE. A specially developed six-stage process enables the performer Kofi Wahlen to perceive the effect of smiling on his body and his inner experience in a differentiated way. During each 15-minute video sequence, he experiences various emotional states ranging from joy to sadness to anger. The minimalist setting also makes his increasing mental and physical exertion tangible.
Text: Max Enderle
automatically translated from german
Additional
Unterstützt durch: Stadt Zug, Kanton Zug, Migros Kulturprozent
Ausgestellt:
2021 C`era una volta la Pangea, Gruppenausstellung, ex Saceba, Tessin CH
2021 In Relation, Gruppenausstellung, Basel CH
2021 Communitas II: Körper und Bewegung, Einzelausstellung, Kunsthaus Steffisburg, CH
2020 Nicht aus seiner Haut können, Einzelausstellung, Kein Museum, Zürich CH (Link)
2019 evolutionär erprobt, Einzelausstellung, Villa Lauried, Zug CH (Link)