Zipper Suit
Performance, presentation, 2012
The skin: a protection as well as a surface for exposure. It is meant to keep us tight, but still it needs to be permeable and elastic with lots of doors, gates, passages, in different directions, constantly moving. All that passes in and out creates the stream of ones life.
Who rules these gates? A wish for total control. A longing to let go of it all. The body proceeds. It’s a huge responsibility to act in ones own skin while also interacting with the skins of others. In an effort to try to understand the construction I start to sew a new, extra skin for myself. In this one all gates are distinctly manifested. I stitch hundreds of zippers together. They form a solid armour but the tacking-stitches could easily be ripped off again.
Each zipper has a history. I visit lots of older ladies. They give me all kinds of zippers. They have collected, ripped them out of worn out clothes or saved them when shops have closed. It is a time-consuming business to construct and sew this armour. During the process I ́ve had time to consider my gates, to become more aware and relient in my skin.
For SURVIVAL KIT 4 I will try to reach from Sweden to Riga wearing only this skin/armour, a passport and a flight-ticket. Lets hope I will get there! (J.H.)
Downshifting? I think that downshifting is maybe not always a goal itself, but sometimes reducing impressions or slowing down etc. means that we construct delimitations and frames which makes it possible to actually put focus on what is left after the reduction. I think it is a human need to sometimes be really focused on something, to deaply experience and get to know ourselves and our relation to the surroundings. This is interesting when it comes to the making of art. There is so much to react on and process in this world, but as Arvo Pärt said, no great music has been composed without someone being silent listening for a sufficient amount of time. What do I hear if I am silent and listen? What does silent mean? Maybe my hands, my body or brain needs to keep moving to be able to listen in a good way?
Artist's Bio:
Johanna Hästö grew up in Säter, a small town with a large mental hospital. Hästö worked as a guide in the hospital museum in Säter which greatly influenced her artistic practice. She is currently studying a Masters of Fine Art at Umeå Art Academy and is part of the artist-run gallery ”Verkligheten” in Umeå, Sweden.