Exercise, Exorcise, Rite, Right

The final act of Antiapóleia - ‘Exercise, Exorcise, Rite, Right’ - manifests as a performative exorcism of site and place. The reincarnation of the public swimming pool into a new utopian leisure facility was inevitably doomed for failure. This ritualistic sermon channels the destructive powers of language; intended to address and release the economic, state and historical powers which currently plague pool, and every other abandoned and/or privately redeveloped public leisure site.

As it develops into the future, the sermon will begin to create a collaboratively networked map of lost public space, gathering recordings and footage of participants performing 'Exercise, Exorcise, Rite, Right' wherever they feel appropriate. The haunting and decaying of these sites is, primarily, a consequence of severe austerity measures and funding cuts to public, culture and leisure sectors over preceding decades. However, the current public voidness generated through social-isolation procedures brings to the fore further questions regarding the immediate future of these spaces. The making of the public is the dreaming of spaces together to build. How can we, collectively, envisage new methods to interact and communicate in a social and perhaps physical way? What are the first steps in creating new systems of public space and participation from now?

Those who would like to get involved can share their recordings/footage/recitations of the text with the artist via email. The text is available as a downloadable PDF, via the following links.


For the complete, designed publication:
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=12tAi1UzsQAdQCi-DJwM6KGnBd-qFt2uS

For a large text format:
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1R4dcDeLgugOgzGjC2cQZ8ME53cGYe_Ap

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