ART IS A STATE OF ENCOUNTER (The Beggar Project, Jokes)
Vienna 2004,
Budapest 2005.
Video and installation with photos and text, dimensions variable
I approached beggars on the main shopping street in Vienna to tell a joke. This was an attempt at engagement, to offer a channel of communication through which their social background can fade away for a while and the basic human experience of humor can be shared.
The video, documenting this act and the beggar’s diverse responses, presents this challenge of humanisation, while also addressing and undermining the common belief of their Eastern European background.
I approached beggars on the main shopping street in Vienna to tell a joke. This was an attempt at engagement, to offer a channel of communication through which their social background can fade away for a while and the basic human experience of humor can be shared.
The video, documenting this act and the beggar’s diverse responses, presents this challenge of humanisation, while also addressing and undermining the common belief of their Eastern European background.