EMBODYING SLOWNESS IN A DROMOCRATIC SOCIETY

In his groundbreaking work ‘Speed and Politics’, French philosopher and urbanist Paul Virilio criticized a ‘political economy of speed’ as a response to an ever-increasing rhythm of life, advocating for a re-evaluation of the pace of life emphasizing the importance of slowness. Departing from Virilio’s critique, the project proposes an ‘embodied economy of slowness’ through the exploration of counter-dromocratic narratives, relations and modes of being that transform the experience of public space. The research is developed through two interrelated lines; a series of performative experiments of hyper-slow movement in public space that examine the social, relational impact with passersby and the embodied experience of the performer(s)/participants; and a series of pet-led poetry walks which explores a contemplative, poetic state following non-human rhythms.