Anette Friedrich Johannessen "Active Body-Lazy Mind" (2019/2021)

Number of participants- 1-10 people.

All participants can move in their own pattern, preferably on a large open area (city centre or rural).

Timeline- 60-120 minutes.

Material- Whatever fits you inside your hand (to be kept in your pocket during first half of the performance).


The concept of landscape, by contrast, puts the emphasis on form, in just the same way that the concept of the body emphasises the form rather than the function of a living creature. If the body is the form in which a creature is present as being-in-the-world, then the world of its being-in presents itself in the form of landscape. (The temporarily of the landscape)

When we make the choice to walk and follow a path, there is the possibility of entering into another rhythm, where action and consciousness merge. There is a special kind of intensity and existence both in the body in motion and in terms of the actual experience of the environment, the path, the landscape. Attention is concentrated on specific parts of you, there is no rational benefit or reward, one is driven by an inner motivation. You let go of the concept of time, and there is no hours and no minutes.

Part 1.
Take off your shoes and socks. Place your feet firmly in the ground. Stand so for 5 minutes with your eyes closed. Visualize the path you are going to walk and the rhythm you will be moving in.

Part 2.
Start walking; find the speed you need to keep your body active, while your head remains empty for big thoughts. Notice how things stretches and become more condensed as the action (the walk) evolves into a symbolic act of being present, inside the space.

Part 3.
Repeat the route. Try it once; try it 4 times, then 10 times and perhaps 50 times. What changes along the way? What do you meet, see, and feel? What does your body tell you, your mind and your heart? How do you respond in your meeting with your co-participants or your audience? Moreover, how is your rhythm?

Part 4.
Take the item you have with you in your pocket and place it inside your hand. Find a place to stand still. Observe the space, observe your material and place it by your feet. This is now your space, but keep in mind that others might feel the same. Accept the fact that all public spaces, rural or inside a city centre, should be democratic and shared spaces.

pdf-version to print and perform

Installationview, Lokale, Cph (DK), May 2021.

Installated QR-code on the wall outside Lokale, Cph (DK), May 2021.

Score handed out in Folkets Park, Cph (DK), May 2021.

A section of the score was activaterd during the Collective Art Talk in Folkets Park, Cph (DK), May 2021.

Anette F. Johannessen works with the collective in her instruction. Her piece is based on the independence of each participants, who moves freely around. The protocol is related to Johannessen's work with the open sessions that facilitates spaces for interaction in a set time. It relates to the landscape and the spatial relations to nature. For the action, each participant should bring an object to relate to. Sensuous experience, repetition and place identity becomes core features for a defined amount of time.

In essence, Johannessen investigates human systems and rituals that regulate our understanding of the surrounding world. In their search for meaning, humans create rituals and systems. These structures can serve as a foundation, safe ground in an otherwise chaotic and disorienting world. These systems, often as simple as small behavioral patterns in our daily lives, can serve as a path that may provide us with meaning.

"Active Body-Lazy Mind" was first presented online for the performance protocols opening online-exhibition: Walking Protocols I, and included in the Walking Protocols II offline-event (gå-protokoller) in Lokale and around Nørrebro in Copenhagen (DK) May 8th and 9th 2021. For this occasion it was available in the exhibition space as well as it was implemented outside through access via a QR-code and handed out in the local Folkets Park. A section of the score was read aloud and performed during the art-philosophical Collective Art Walk by Outside Collective and performance protocols on May 9th. in Folkets Park.



Photos by Malte Steiner.