Still Here: Moments in Isolation

What has been on artists’ and creatives’ minds during the Covid-19 pandemic and the waves of quarantine orders that have washed over the planet? That has been the question animating the initiative STILL HERE – Moments in Isolation. Since March 2020, co-curators and editors Roya Sachs and Mafalda Millies, alongside editor Matthias Kliefoth and producer Elizabeth Edelman, have invited prominent denizens in the worlds of art and culture to submit a still life image with an accompanying text, or thought, sharing their experience, along with the date and location now spanning across six continents. The highlighting participants include artists such as: Monica Bonvicini, Tosh Basco fka Boychild, Katherine Bernhardt, Simon Denny, Marcel Dzama, Issy Wood, Shirin Neshat, Adam Pendleton, Laure Prouvost, Wolfgang Tillmans, Raphaela Vogel, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, alongside authors such as Chris Kraus, ballet dancer David Hallberg, neuroscientist Mendel Kaelen, auctioneer Simon de Pury and sexual anthropologist Betony Vernon. This visual diary comes to life through video and music with Augmented Reality components that can be activated using the DISTANZ app. Alongside this, the publication includes an essay by novelist and art critic Jennifer Higgie, as well as a custom bookmark with a unique scent attached to it developed by renowned olfactory artist and smell researcher Sissel Tolaas. TRIADIC will be donating 100% of their proceeds from the book to Performa, a New York City based multidisciplinary arts organization which is dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of twentieth century art and encouraging new directions in art. DISTANZ will also be donating profits to Berlin Program for Artists, a mentoring program that facilitates exchange between emerging and established artists.