Dear All,

I am very glad to invite you for the DON'T EAT THE MICROPHONE sessions.

In the beginning I entered THEIR space, THEY are outside for the daily meeting. In this meeting THEY arrange the schedule of the week. I join THEM in the almost circle composed around the moving table with tea, coffee, cups, sugar and milk. Now it's MY turn. I grab a coffee and start. THEIR language is Dutch, MINE is Portuguese. OUR only access is English. Communication seems to collapse. WE communicate outside of OUR mother tongue. OUR mother tongue is just one among many others differences. I don't only speak another language but I also organize and pronounce MY thoughts in an alien way. Alien to THEM and now, suddenly, to MYself. MYself. THEMselves. As I speak I watch MYself. I estrange (MY own) language. MY isolation is clear now. I am outside language and locked inside one. I am alone. Alone in MY efficiency, alone in MY logic of projections, projects, projected-projecting-projects, wanting projects, projects of wanting, projects of hysterical acceleration, acceleration of accomplishments, accomplishments of success. As if I watch a language that speaks through ME but that I don't speak with. And they observe ME without mirroring my hysteria. And as less mirrored I am, more I perceive the lack of a voice emancipated from its project. I keep talking since I am afraid of silence. I keep talking. I keep being dragged by the words and the way they simulate themselves through my mouth. I am done. I stop talking. And through the ignorance of the neurotic who constantly needs to please and to be confirmed, I ask what do they think about it. Some of them look at me suspiciously, others just observe, others simply look at ME as if I haven't said anything, others don't even look at me.... Nonetheless we are all there, estranging each other but staying... no awkwardness with the awkward, no anxiety with the gap, no fear of silence, no euphoria to interact.

DON'T EAT THE MICROPHONE is a practice where proposition, interaction, participation, composition, gathering, conversation, translation, mimicry, representation and voicing are in constant process of creation and collapse. There is no theme or goal... Martine once said "We are here to express ourselves" - and I continued - "an expression rather precarious than spectacular" we laughed.

Since March 2014 I have been working in collaboration with the psychoanalyst Petra Van Dyck to create a space that hosts the logics of people living in the psychiatric hospital Dr. Guislain in Ghent. To HOST the other's logic we had to UNDO our own and vice versa. The mutuality of effects in the work became clear when pathologizing them (patients) as the psychotics meant to auto-pathologize us (artist and psychoanalyst) as the neurotics. Normality became a matter of perspective.

Instead of bringing the work to you I invite you to take part in the work. To join the sessions as a participant. If you have any material you would like to improvise with or simply to donate; a TEXT, an INSTRUMENT, an OBJECT, a MOVEMENT, a piece of CAKE, a COSTUME... please bring to the session. We already have an electric PIANO, few CHAIRS, MANNEQUINS, a FLUTE, some ROBES, long ROPES, few BLOUSES, a MICROPHONE, a VOICE effect pedal, COFFEE, fake CHAMPAGNE, plastic FLOWERS, some TEXTILE, SENSORIAL objects, sometimes COOKIES, ELASTIC, video CAMERA, a big piece of PAPER, big red-green-blue-black PENS, a pink CROWN made of paper, RECORDS, a BRIDE, some THEORIES, few (un)translatable STORIES and a FAMILY of card board BOXES. There is no limit of age or SPECIES to participate, you can come ALONE, with a DOG, a CHILD or a PLANT.

WHEN: The sessions happen every Friday from 14h to 17h between 10th October till 12th December. You are welcome to enter and exit whenever you want. DIRECTIONS: From Ghent St. Pieters train station take the tram 1 direction center. Step out at Gent Guislainstraat - Museum Dr. Guislain. When you get there enter the building and follow the directions towards the unity De Meander. 

DON'T EAT THE MICROPHONE is supported by the research center of a.pass and continues in 2015/2016 with the support of Vooruit. Mentors: Petra Van Dyck and Peter Pal Pelbert. Special thanks De Meander, Filip de Meyer, Karla Haezebrouck, Steven Jouwersma, Zsa-Zsa, Matthieu Goeury, diogobo and Elke Van Campenhout.

Looking forward to see you there!
Warmest,

Veridiana Zurita

www.veridianazurita.com