Cultural Plurality Unification

In this project we orchestrate a cultural plurality unification activity wherein all participants paint with their preferred media from their native lands and regions, and create unique design/ color canvases on their faces.

Participants are asked and encouraged to bring local face/ body-painting media ranging from the modern world such as creams/ cosmetic products, extending to traditional world media like sand, soil, mud, or alternative natural pigments – mainly everyday materials and resources, which reflect the diversity in the identities and experiences of people. It will be helpful if the materials can be readily available for participants. We, in particular, work with a couple of volunteers within the group to have some part of their bodies painted to create a living sculpture installation/ performance piece.

The idea is to deal with modern and traditional worlds on the one hand and ‘erasing’ the original color of the skin on the other hand. In the end, participants are not differentiated anymore by the skin color but from the final artwork made on their faces and bodies.

The exercise is about defining oneself in hers/ his own terms and breaking down programmed barriers of racial and social differences. The activity aims to inspire a critical discourse on race and social constructs. Considering your proposal of doing a session at dinner time, i will suggest doing this particular activity at day time to allow for greater participation to the artwork and documentation