PTS Pandemic is the first public video-performance by Regina Frank The HeArt is Present after the COVID 19 Lockdown.
A white dress features the COVID development Curves of 77 selected countries, from Afghanistan to Yemen, according to ourworldindata.org.
In contrast to the cold lines of the data development graphs Regina paints the lines by hand, each country with a different color. Her personal ductus interferes with the curve, symbolically leaving space for the emotional quality of the line. In the center of her skirt the lines overshadow answers to the question “What is black? What is white? from 28 different countries. This piece first created in 2002 will grow 2020 with more answers on social media, evoking new insights into the current issues: Covid and Black Lives Matter movement.
Social Media: Starting with her first public performance, she will launch a social media campaign asking the same question again “What is black? What is white?” in 2020, which will be influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement .
The Performance, resulting video and installation: This is, as often, a slow motion sit-in. Her movements stand in dramatic contrast to the rest of her environment, sitting in a public space and moving so slowly that only later, in a time-lapse movie, you can discern the message of her movement. Just like we don’t really see the effect of our actions unless we fast forward and look into the future. The people moving around her at normal speed will appear to be moving in hyper-speed due to the time-lapse.
PTS Pandemic: The performance reflects and investigates the current issues surrounding the corona virus pandemic and the resulting stress and disquiet of most people as a reaction to confinement and the fear of being infected. It features the Corona Curves, data curves that most people have probably been watching go up and down with fear or satisfaction as various measures were implemented. It also advocates for a certain stillness that many of us discovered during this very different time and fosters the artist within all of us that can keep us sane during crazy times.
The Past: Shortly before the Pandemic, from 11-22.02.2020, Regina Frank received more than 5000 children and more than 2000 adults, among them the Prime Minister of Portugal, the minister for Education and Science as well as the former Minister for Environmental issues, at the Pavilhão do Conhecimento. Once the pandemic started, Regina’s busy schedule came to a sudden stop with 6 projects cancelled or rescheduled. In response she decided to retreat to the countryside and set up studio in an abandoned greenhouse, where she immersed herself in an intense and extremely productive work routine, checking the “curve” daily, expanding her network on social media and Zoom, but otherwise completely out of “touch” with anyone.
The Title: The recent COVID19 pandemic drastically changed our lives and our approach to social gatherings and travel, but also our relation to art and culture. PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress.
