May-June 2022
Project initiator: Daniela Catona, Faculty of Arts and Design Timișoara
The name PEND of the project initiated in 2019 refers to the meaning variants of the English term, which starts from the idea of putting on hold, but also that of finding an answer. In the three years since its establishment, the project included several one-off events that had as protagonists students of the Decorative Arts specialization, within the Faculty of Arts and Design - UVT, as well as invited artists.
If in the last two years the PEND projects took place exclusively in the online environment, counting on this type of interaction and dissemination, as happened in the projects Selfish Work (PEND #5) and Workin(g) Place (PEND #6 ), Why am I asking you? it was thought as an exit from this framework of the virtual and digital world.
Why am I asking you? is project number seven within PEND and was designed with the idea of a collaboration bridge between students from the Decorative Arts specialization and students from various faculties within the Western University of Timișoara.
Students from UVT are part of the group of those enrolled in the complementary discipline The human body – Artistic subject and object. The complementary disciplines within UVT also have the abbreviated form DCT, the title of the project, Why am I asking you?, started from a play on words that refers to this discipline.
After the pandemic period in which human interactions were so limited or were mediated through technology, the idea of reuniting, of putting the two groups of students face to face was the foundation on which the entire project was built. Why am I asking you? started with an informal meeting where students from the Faculty of Arts and Design asked questions of the other student group. "what is your favorite color?","ce animal does it scare you" or "what is your first memory?" are just some of the questions that have become topics of discussion.
There were memories, but also revelations, we talked about phobias, but also about dreams and goals. The meeting revealed the joy of face-to-face communication, the relationship being warm and lively. As an exception, in a few cases, for objective reasons, communication took place in a first phase through messages, followed by face-to-face interaction.
Following this meeting, the art students designed and made textile or ceramic objects intended for the person with whom they had a dialogue. The moment of the reunion followed, in which the specially designed objects were handed out. A textile spider, a bust with a ceramic heart and wings, two hands together holding some cherries, a textile letter, are part of a set of special objects, with emotional and symbolic value.
The joint photo session tried to document the moment of surprise and joy of both groups. Also, for the dissemination of information in the online environment, each of the arts students presented a small text in which they shared their experience after participating in the project. The students highlighted the way in which the subjective reporting to the person they interacted with influenced their creative path.
Why am I asking you? it is a project about how parts of us that we think are invisible can become visible, but also about the one in which human interaction can bring new facets to the artistic act.
Students from FAD – UVT: Alexandra Țecu, Ruth Dobânda, Otilia Efros, Ali Armașu, Raluca Nagy, Otilia Sfetcu
UVT students: Adrian Fărcaş, Stelică Alexandru, Elena Cilioaica, Toma Bodri, Adina Florea, Daniela Ivănuț, Maria Țărălungă, Iasmina Mocan, Nicole Hotnogu, Ariana Grigore, Barbara Bodo, Roxana Neagoie
project Why am I asking you? can be viewed online and at the link:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=dana.catona&set=a.10227144299688906
and
https://www.facebook.com/PEND-411409209425411
Univ. Assoc. Dr. Daniela Catona
