Bewusster Schlaf in fremden Betten

2017
performative workshop
60'

Bewusster Schlaf in fremden Betten is a performance in three parts, consisting of a collective reading, a guided meditation and a verbal exchange of experiences. In this workshop-like format a space for the semiconscious is opened.

First some text excerpts about the conceptual history of the sleeping self are read (from Siri Hustvedts essay „Sleeping/Not Sleeping“) by different people while walking through the city of Zurich at dusk.
Afterwards I instruct the participants in the deep relaxation exercise called Yoga Nidra, in which the hypnagogic state between waking and sleeping is achieved. For this meditation the spectators are invited to lie in beds on display at „Bettgeschichten“, a shop for high quality beds. The private activity is thus exhibited in a public setting.
Finally an exchange about sleeping habits happens during a glass of Prosecco.