Raluca what, how, why

How many matches (it takes to measure a prison)

What

Together with 3 other artists, I measured the length of the biggest prison in Austria which is located in Krems. We used matches as measuring instruments. After finishing the measurement, which took us 9 hours, we placed the matches illegally on the floor of the art gallery located right across the prison.

How

We worked in teams of 2 people, both teams starting from the control towers of the prison that were placed in opposing sides of the prison. One person lined up the matches, while the person behind collected the matches. We did this continuously until one team met the other one.

Why

Our aim was to appropriate the prison’s surroundings with a worldwide, small-scale unit of measurement. The matches also pondered on the relationship between the two realities –the noticeable walls and what they conceal, as the prison was hidden under an old church façade. The performance was part of an effort to map a space that we did not have access to and to draw attention towards it. The endurance also matched the repetitive dull work that inmates are usually required to do.

The eyes of Nicolae Botgros

What On my back to work, I saw daily the same 39 posters of Nicolae Botgros, a traditional Romanian folklore singer. One day, I stopped and mapped all these posters’ memory, trying to see what his eyes would see in that particular time and space.

How I placed the camera viewfinder on his eyes and shot 36 frames. Then, using Photoshop, I recreated filmstrips of 36 frames for every poster eyes.

Why The project deals with the creation and appropriation of the virtual memory of the poster personas of Nicolae Botgros in a particular time and place. It also opposes and links two types of memory: the human one, selective, subjective and temporary, and the digital one, general, objective and (apparently) ever-lasting.

AA+: Aerobic meets Artist

What For a couple of months, I held individual, personalized, approx. one hour long aerobic sessions for artists. The sessions took place in a gym in Bucharest and took various shapes, depending on each person’s personality.

How The sessions were personalized according to the answers provided by the artists using an online form. The questions mostly regarded their practice, their preferences and everyday struggles. The exercises were based on reciprocity, collaboration, exchange and re-interpretation, sometimes even re-enactment. However, the development of each session was directly influenced by the artist’s approach towards it.

Why The aerobic session represented a leave from the comfort zone and a physical interaction and collaboration among artists, outside the virtual world or the gallery space. It also enforced a positive attitude and more confidence in oneself through the physical effort and meditative parts. At the same time, some answers provided a means for analyzing the art context and what it implies to be part of it.