Premiere of Seeing I: The Protragonists

Mark Farid, scholarship holder of the European Media Art Platform presents on December 4, starting at 4 p.m. in the Videorama at Werkleitz, at Kibela Art Space in Maribor (Slowenia) and online on werkleitz.de and seeing-i.com from 11:45 (CET) at werkleitz.de the first result of his fellowship at Werkleitz: Premiere of Seeing I: The Protragonists. The project explores the movement of people in 2020; how different cultures, societies, and languages affects one’s sense of self, and - especially during the coronavirus pandemic - the ability to share in one’s experience and world, only through digital technologies. Seeing I: The Other* shows different people’s lives from around the world streamed online, in a first person point of view, 360 degree field of view, 24-continuous-hour recording. Exploring how people respond to continuous and constant self-surveillance, whilst also testing bespoke technologies in real-life circumstances.

On December 4, 2020 from 11:45 to 18:45 (CET) on werkleitz.de we will show the life of the 36-year-old Ibrahima, an asylum seeker from West Africa, from his perspective. In 2003 Ibrahima moved to the northeast of England to escape a war, where he was granted an unlimited right of residence by the British government. In 2008 he was deprived of his permanent right to stay, and in 2015 the Home Office granted him the right to stay again. However, he did not receive his passport or social security number back. For the last 12 years Ibrahima has not been able to work, leave the UK or see his children. Mark Farid's project Seeing I: The Protragonists (2020) is the result of the online fellowship at Werkleitz as part of the European Media Artists in Residence Exchange (EMARE) program of the European Media Art Platform (EMAP) and a research arm of Farid's Project Seeing I (2021) in which the artist, as a specific individual (the "other"), will live in virtual reality 24 hours a day, for two weeks, and immerse himself in the life of the other. A part of the performance will be presented during the Werkleitz Festival 2021.

The next part of Seeing I: The Protagonists is presented on January 14 2021.