In conversation for social concept

What is your name? Where did you grow up?

“I’m Vivienne, but everybody calls me Vivi. I grew up in Zurich. My parents split up when I was two years old; that’s why  only lived with my mom for most of my life. Then we moved to Aargau with my little brother, and after that, my little sister was born. 3 years ago, I moved back to Zürich.”

Where in Aargau did you grow up?

“In Zofingen.”

What do you do in your life?

“I’m in the process of finding myself. I am struggling with the question, where do I place myself in society? What do I want to contribute to society? I did a lot of trial and error. That’s why I take my time now and, firstly, want to reflect on myself before I rush into something. My favorite thing is to perform and create art with my body. I am developing a piece right now and another theater production. I am trying to find a way to adapt this art into my daily life.”

Have you ever thought that when you make your hobby into your job, you lack freedom?

“Not so far. I was always very lucky with all the projects I did because I had a good team, where you could all create together. I think what you’re saying would only happen, when you do, what other people expect from you, but not what you can identify yourself with.”

What kind of object did you bring with you and why?

“I brought my little music box where you can turn the handle and a song will play. This object has a big value for me for various reasons. It’s the soundtrack of my favorite movie “Die fabelhafte Welt der Amelie”. The soundtrack is from a great composer. When I was four or five years old, my aunt always played it at my grandmother’s, and I was dancing. I felt free in those moments. When I was older my mom gave the music box to me with this exact song. It calms me when I listen to it. There was a time when I had panic attacks and anxiety and, in these moments, I lost all sense of reality. This little box was very helpful during that time. By turning the handle, I had something else to focus on. The melody gives me feelings of happiness. When I hear it, I see memories that put the ground back under my feet. It usually stands on my nightstand.”

What memories do you see?

“Several. In Zofingen we used to have a big living room with a lot of light and a white piano. I see my aunt at the piano and little me jumping around the table. Sometimes I also see sequences from the movie.”

What role does creativity play in your life?

“For me, it is a way to survive. If you would prohibit me from expressing myself creatively, it would be a hard life for me without any color. When I am being creative, I can process my life. Now, I have discovered how to paint my feelings. It can also be writing or dancing, but I find a meaning in this creativity.”

Do you just go for it in your creative work, or do you have a concept behind it? What does your
creative process look like?

“When I am free, I just start, because usually I feel a strong urge to tell something, to get something off my chest. Often, I also don’t really know what I’m doing I just do it intuitively. Creativity is like many little puzzle pieces you start piecing together, even though you might not understand it until you get the big picture. You would have never had the chance to see the big picture if you hadn’t started.”

What do you mean by “drawing your emotions”?

“When I am angry or frustrated, I take a pen and just start scribbling angry on the paper. Sometimes I even scream and get very emotional. Then comes a moment where I see something in my drawing. The last time I drew with blue, black, and red, suddenly, I had created a background. Then I was in the mood to smear it with my hands until I had developed a head.”

What do you think of when you hear social concept?

“I have the picture of human beings, where everybody has their own reality, but when you zoom out, all the realities merge into each other.”

I hear how each persona has their own role but is also influenced by the others.

“I do believe that we are a collective of human beings and that a lot of people are aware of that. I find it very interesting how little coincidences can bring you to the point in life where you are right now and turn you into the person you are today.”

Where do you see yourself/would you place yourself in this concept?

“I am a human being with my own history and space. But I also like to reach out and explore other people’s spaces or give my energy and space to someone.”

What is beauty or ugliness for you?

“Beauty is very subjective. Society is trying to shape, categorize, and label beauty, even though it is actually fluid and dynamic. We don’t live in harmony with nature anymore. I categorize people as well, because not knowing and understanding is uncomfortable. Beauty also changes constantly, which we can see in trends. It is not only something visual it’s a feeling where you emit hormones.”

Is it your opinion whether something is beautiful or ugly or are we influenced so much that we
don’t even realize anymore that we are not following our own opinion?

“I think it’s a strength nowadays to really crystallize your own opinion because we get influenced so much on social media and by other people’s opinions. Beauty and ugliness also have to do with belonging. For instance, in fashion, you might want to belong to a certain social group, so you adapt that aesthetic.”