The Giving Up of Real Memories (2018)

In The Giving Up of Real Memories, Tsuchimoto addresses the concept of authenticity and affective interpretation in visual presentation. Referencing the growing Emotional Intelligence market, she explores the questions behind the means in which people impede their own ability to access to primary emotions in order to adjust to socially imposed feeling rules in contemporary society.

Set-up: a textile object hung from the ceiling, five chairs, golden textile pieces on the floor, soil and drawings under the textile pieces, a red stool with a plant on the textile pieces, a circular pattern on the floor made with neon colored tape

0'00-4'00 (sound) The audience is invited to the main room. (they are asked to take off their shoes) At the entrance, an assistant gives a folded paper note (which says “do not open yet”) to each person.

4'00-5'00 (silence) (dim lights)

5'00-8'00 (sound) Tsuchimoto chooses five people from the audience and invites them to sit in the chairs. She gives them each a clipboard with an emotional intelligence test. She walks around the circle while they are answering the questions.

8'00-10'00 (sound) She covers them with golden textiles and gives them an object to hold.

10'00-11'00 (silence) (dim lights)

11'00-23'00 (sound) The five members are released. Tsuchimoto asks people to open the paper note. They can find a number on each note. She removes the chairs and the golden textiles from the floor. Under the textiles, there is soil and a circle with eight drawings. First, she calls the people who received number 1 to come closer to the circle, then asks them to make facial expressions of “trust” by showing a drawing and takes pictures of the group with an instant camera. The action continues with group 2 (fear), group 3 (surprise), group 4 (sadness), group 5 (disgust), group 6 (anger), group 7 (anticipation), and group 8 (joy).

23'00-24'00 (silence) (dim lights)

24'00-30'00 Tsuchimoto sits down on the stool and holds the plant. The audience members may leave the room when they tell her about their feelings.

Performance at SILENCE (SOUND) at Fylkingen, Stockholm, Sweden: Organized by KAI-EN and Kajsa Sandström

(photo by Hironori Tsukue)

Sound: Daniel Konar