HAPPINESS NOW?
Guest Projects, London
10-27 March 2013
Laura Cooper
Oliver Cronk
Petra Kubisova
Anna Lopez
Amanda Millis
Linda Stupart
The persistent throbbing imperative to ‘BE HAPPY’ has converted almost every aspect of communal humanity into an exchange value. Happiness seems to have become inextricably linked with consumption: a disposable value, instantly gratifying and on demand. Happiness is not a pre-packaged product that can be purchased off the shelf. It is not a condition and/or situation, which is fixed and determined by unitary social constructs. It is NOT an imperative and it is even less so when it forces us to abide by a hypocritical configuration of happiness that subordinates rather than liberates. The question is: whose happiness are we adopting and what sort of happiness are we perpetuating? To what extent are we willing to subsist in pursuing happiness when the failure to do so can be equally gratifying? How powerful, vigorous and free are alternative cultural forms of production? How do they contest dominant forms of happiness, or what contradictions do they mediate, resolve or fail? Our approach will stress feminist, queer and affective methodologies as alternatives to the mainstream interpretations of happiness and imperatives of success, work, consumption and belonging. The artists selected reflect on the notion of happiness in order to elaborate new values, failures and escapades.
The programme includes performances, screenings, community actions and a Talkaoke with Nina Power.
Public programme artists: Anetta Mona Chisa & Lucia Tkacova, Johannes Evers, Oriana Fox, Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen, Niklas Laustiola, Nadja Verena Marcin, Nik Rawlings, Carrie Topley and Nena Zinovieff.
For the full programme visit: http://happinessnow.yolasite.com/programme-info.php
