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Visitors of an Exhibition Space are Suggested to 'Do Nothing' 

2021

(participatory) (delegated) performance, legal agreement

co-produced by Caveat, Brussels

exhibition In the Long Blink of an Eye, HISK, Gosset site, Brussels

curated by Daniella Géo

Images by the artist, Laure Cottin Stefanelli & Manuel Wetscher

performance                                              film                                      critical texts                                             publications

'Doing nothing' - this paradoxal, since being defined by negation, task was proposed to the visitors of an exhibition that took place in Brussels (Dec, 2020 - Jan, 2021) in a form of a performative piece.

 

Entitled Visitors of an Exhibition Space Are Suggested to 'Do Nothing’, this participatory set-up indeed invited visitors to ‘do nothing’, but first meticulously spelling out the conditions that ‘doing nothing’ will be both subject to and enabled by: visitors sign a contract that was developed by the artist in close collaboration with a lawyer, and which is legally valid and binding. After 'doing nothing', they get remunerated and receive a proof of payment.  It was possible for visitors to take part in the performance and ‘do nothing’ for any amount of time, whereas the compensation is foreseen for the number of full hours.

The contract for  'doing nothing'  specified that all applicable taxes and social contributions should be paid by both parties according to local laws and regulations.

Visitors of an exhibition space are suggested to 'do nothing' is conceived as a re-enactable piece. 

Statistics & Data

Applicable law & regulations: Belgian

Compensation rate: €10,251 * 

Compensation rate on Sundays and national holidays: €20,5

 *Belgium's general minimum wage upon CAO (collective labour agreement) n° 43 of the National Labour

   Council, which sets the absolute national bottom amount for wages. These apply when there are no other

   specific sectoral agreements on minimum wages. On Sundays and national holidays the compensation is

   200%.

Number of hours available for 'doing nothing' (time- and budget-wise) : 32 

Number of visitors: 600

Number of participants (visitors that signed the contract for 'doing nothing'): 21

Shortest duration of 'doing nothing' : 3 minutes

Longest duration of 'doing nothing': 1 hour 30 minutes

Number of participants that 'did nothing' for a full hour / number of paid hours : 10

Total duration of 'doing nothing' by all participants : 12 hours and 10 minutes

Breach(es) of the contract: 1

Source of budget for 'doing nothing': Flemish Community, Belgium, Ministry of Education, HISK

Fiscal & legal responsibility (contracts with participants signed by) : the artist

Hosts: Titouan Russo, Mélanie Weill

Legal conception: in collaboration with Julie Van Elslande (Caveat / Emptor)

Texts: in collaboration with Mélanie Weill, Jesse Van Winden (Caveat / Emptor)

Space setup: in collaboration with Azad Asifovich

Related artworks

2022_03_26_SPACE_0594.jpg

next version of the performance:

   

Ne rien faire contre rémunération'

2022

New Space, Liege (Be)

IMG_6904 (2).jpg

artist's edition:

   

Contract 'Doing nothing' for payment

2022

legal agreement

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