Mette Kit Jensen "Outside Oneself" (2021)

about the artist

Do you know that feeling? You wander around the city and see someone who fascinates you. That person appears like from another planet, not really dressed up, but a bit staged. You feel like going home with this person to see how he or she lives or meet their family or go with them to work - to be experiencing the world from their perspective.Like the woman which I noticed at the Yves Saint-Laurent Museum in Paris who took pictures of herself in the mirror wall in YSL's study - wearing long boots, a black wide-brimmed hat, a carefully but carelessly arranged large woolen shawl around her neck and a black shoulder bag with an extra long strap hanging from her shoulder. Or the older lady standing in front of the shop in Rue De Rivoli wearing a short purple coat, red shoes and a red bag, having a very precise hairstyle which looked like a helmet or a wig.

In the performance “Outside Oneself" you could get the opportunity to try to be someone else.
The participants were found via an advertisement in Nørrebro’s local newspaper and through various Facebook groups.
Upon registering, one had to state one's shoe and coat size.
In LOKALE trench coats were hanging and loafers were lined up in different sizes, as well as a framed phantom drawing of a mysterious lady was hanging on the wall.
Behind a curtain were two makeup artists and the participants were made up and styled for an hour.

Every hour a person walked out the door from LOKALE, styled as the woman on the phantom drawing and provided with a manual for an hour's walk in the Nørrebro neighbourhood. Each participant was additionally asked to note down their experiences, take some photos during their walk, and afterwards send these to Mette Kit Jensen. You can click on the name links underneath each of the photos below and visit their individual sites.

Links to manual for "Outside Oneself": Danish and English

Concept, manual, installation and costumes: Mette Kit Jensen
Assistant Josephine Sommer
Wig and make up design: Anne Cathrine Saurberg
Make Up assistant: Vilma Sandnes Johansson
Phantom drawing: Karina Mosegård

The project was supported by Statens Kunstfonds project support committee, Byens Puls Nørrebro, the Council for Visual Culture Copenhagen Municipality.
Thank you Cité Internationales des Arts Paris and Betonsalon, Paris

Photos of the participants by Mette Kit Jensen, except # 9 by Josephine Sommer.
All photos in the slideshow are by Mette Kit Jensen and Malte Steiner.