"Put a spell on me"

Duration: 20 minutes, 2002

Performed: June 3^rd, 2002
Exhibition: Common ground, Landesvertretung Niedersachsen, Berlin, Germany
Curator: Stefanie Sembill

Performed: July 15^th, 2004
Exhibition: Faxe Kondi, Goethe Institut, Prague, Czech Republic
Curator: Emanuela Nobile Mino

The performance "put a spell on me..." by Ivan Civic, took place twice. The first time, as part of the exhibition "Common ground", curated by Stefanie Sembill, in the Landesvertretung Niedersachsen/Schleswig-Holstein on June 3rd 2002 and the second time on July 15th 2004, in Prague's Goethe Institut, as part of the exhibition "Faxe kondi", curated by Emanuela Nobile Mino. The performance is about desire and longing towards a reciprocal love and understanding that we all need. It shows, however, how unsatisfying, fast and unfulfilling all these longings and relationships can be, especially when put out in the open, in front of society's voyeur eye. The interesting thing about this piece is that in the two countries I have performed it in, the visitors reacted differently according to moral and shame limits they were used to. So Berlin was very open minded about it and went with the flow, but Prague was ashamed and people were giggling a lot because they were embarassed. One women even poured her glass of wine over me and said it was rape. Needless to say, all the people entering the performance space were warned that they would be locked in there with me for about half an hour and that they could only enter at their own risk and responsability.