Satisfying the housing needs of the society is one of the basic tasks of the modern world. Yet at the same time, the world is getting louder and more cramped than ever before. Regardless of what we want or plan, the space for rest is merging with the place of work.
The comfort of home is gradually commodified. Workplaces in co-working spaces and large corporations are made to look homely, while laptops are often marketed as devices to be used from the comfort of your own bed. Once given the possibility to work remotely, paid work has crept into the space of home. We work from the bedroom, the kitchen table, and the toilet.*
*Aleksandra Gordowy, Dom jako przestrzeń produktywna i nieproduktywna [Home as a productive and unproductive space], Bęc Zmiana, 2020
The text used in the work entitled “Compression” is based on articles in The Guardian describing the housing problems of British people during the Sars-Covid-19 epidemic.
SEE THE PROJECT > www.thevirtualcanvas.site
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Why Quit (Karolina Balcer & Iwona Ogrodzka)
Collaboration, acquiring knowledge, the power of friendship and community building are important factors of our work. We have been working together closely since 2016, and the Why Quit initiative, launched in 2019, is the result of our experience, including the establishment of the bottom-up Wykwit Gallery (2015-2019), the Wykwitex Group (since 2017) and many joint projects, e.g. during our residency in KulturKontakt in Vienna (2018). Why Quit is a nomadic initiative which, apart from acting in a duet, attracts creative people to critically comment on social, political and economic situations. We believe that art can be one of the tools to put pressure on the structures that make up the harmful system.
Compression is a part of The Virtual Canvas online exhibition.