Ritual of Longing

FESCH.TV INFORMIERT:

Joanna Łałowska and Laia Miret, 2021
Royal College of Art

Ritual of Longing is a humble trial set of rituals which enable the practitioner and the spectator to dive deeper into their bond with the other significant being, a friend. A translocated friendship works as a vessel for personal exploration, highlighting the healing power of human connection.

Our current condition is afflicted because of the domination of two basic forms of communal life: the family and the nation. These, enhanced by the pandemic, do not create a real counterbalance to the systemic competition based on egoism and exploitation. The politics of friendship can be a reminder of methods of cooperation and coexistence, ultimately going beyond the realm of interpersonal relations to include every human being and help us all transform through connecting deeply with our emotions. Can new forms of living or being together become a political tool enacting real change?

Borders between connection and disconnection are disappearing. The digital realm and human relations have become unified in one never-ending shift. This is especially affirmed through our networked presence in multi-internet reality. In a globalised world affected by the current de-globalised travel system, how can rituals help us reconnect with friends living and being confined afar?

Physical rituals have been virtually forgotten in the anthropology of everyday life. In every culture, these moments marked the cycle of life and gave a spiritual framework for humanity.

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