I’ll admit it: I was among the first to be duped.
Recently, an unnamed collective performed a choreographed work of art in the streets of my city, Forcalquier, in the southeast of France, during a busy Monday market. Dressed in white scrubs and white masks, the performers reproduced a set of mechanical gestures against the backdrop of a distorted soundscape of robotic commands. They were demanding compliance with a caricatured set of governmental rules to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Feeling moved to have witnessed a live performance after more than five months of a near-total cultural vacuum, I initially applauded the effort – and I wasn’t alone in this sentiment. But as the initial thrill passed, I found myself analyzing what I had just experienced.
