“What is special about this project is perhaps its small scale and intimacy, and yet at the same time the ambition to be experienced by as many people as possible. The visitors have to wear a cape (apparently to become super heroes of doing nothing) and only then are they allowed to enter a space of quietness, separated by the rest of the studio by a big screen. In spite of the space being really small, the atmosphere of calm and relaxation is palpable.”
Anna Zanetti, Art Editorial Assistant of The Oxford Culture Review
Doing nothing as an act of transgression. A mind cleaning space. A place where the word bureaucracy is forbidden. No more deadlines. Fight capitalism, do nothing. Be a Superhero, do nothing. Are you tired of the pressure of always having to do something? At the ‘Do Nothing Club’ we do time differently.
Alessio Mazzaro and Fiona Winning create a transient space where people can join them to become somebody else and gain superpowers to do nothing as an antidote to hyper productivity, away from the constraints of relentless working, networking and writing endless job applications. They create a space to experience a new dimension in order to change the one we normally inhabit.
To Do nothing is provocative and raises a lot of ethical issues. How does one justify doing nothing when the economic model encourages over production, with an edu- cation system that abhors idleness, being more interested in producing a workforce “able to work under pressure”. On entering the club you will find a welcoming space with an interior designed to be comfortable, a “Do Nothing’ manifesto and a ‘Do Nothing’ booklet. These elements are “possibilities” designed to give permission and help initiate a do nothing behaviour. After a ‘Do Nothing’ experience, participants will be given a membership card in recognition of their engagement with the project and to encourage further ‘do nothing’ experiences. The space, rules and elements are different at each site, evolving based on the visitor’s feedback and suggestions. Members also helped to design the membership card via an open call. It’s artists intention to create a network of Do Nothing Clubs, opening them in different busy and fast cities.
The Club started as a commission from SuperNormal Festival 2016, then opened its door at Spike Island (Bristol) as a talk and event for the Associates Artists, and at StudioRCA (London) invited by the curator Anne Duffau of the Royal College of Art.
