Applause Australian artist Angelica Mesiti spent the COVID-19 lockdown in her home studio in Paris. Here, she reflects on connection in isolation.
Applause is not an action that is at its best in the singular. It’s much better
Europe - where residents applaud the healthcare workers and other
in a group when it relies on consensus. Then it is an affirmation and a
frontline essential service people from their apartment windows in a
reply. It says: ‘YES!! Thank you! And well done!’ to whoever its message is
show of solidarity, gratitude and encouragement. But I would have never
for. It also says: ‘I agree with you and let’s assertively agree that this thing
anticipated the effect of this nightly act.
is good’. It says: ‘I’m going to join you and give sound to my agreement,
In the first few days of confinement, when everything was full of
and when my sound joins with your sound we will be making it larger
uncertainty, anxiety and fear, this 8pm ritual of applause was a moment
and louder and stronger’.
of unexpected relief. At the end of a day of isolation, to open the windows
When more people join in making this sound a new effect begins,
and see neighbours - who we’d never seen before - wave at us and each
we become a collective in agreement and our sound swells then returns
other, and smile and share a collective moment, was like medicine. We
energy back to us. Because the energy is producing vibrations that are
didn’t speak; we relied on gesture and signals to affirm to each other we
now waving their way between us and entering our diaphragms, raising
were still there, connected in our shared isolation and knowing that gave
the hairs on our arms and bouncing off the walls of the buildings, this
us relief.
thing that is swelling takes on shape and form and becomes an entity and it has power and force. Every night at 8pm since the beginning of confinement (34 days at
It is a small act and it only lasts a few minutes each day, but it reinforces something essential that we didn’t know we needed. It gives us a way to give sound and action to our existence, to our physical self and
the time of writing) this is what happens on our street. You will have
our connectedness to each other. Even while we are closed away, staying
heard of the ritual that came into being seemingly spontaneously across
home, staying safe.
Angelica Mesiti, ASSEMBLY 2019, three-channel video installation. Stills and installation views. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 2019 A Know My Name project
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nga.gov.au