Con todo mi afecto is a video, photo and web project completed over a four month period that involves the participation of the local community in Mexico. During the residency, I am making myself available to create works of art in exchange and in response to an object that people are giving me. These objects must have particular sentimental value to the original owners. In return to each of these items, I am creating original works of art that are numbered, signed and given back to the owner of the object it echoes. Each work is therefore created specifically for each person, trying to match the sentimental value of the given object.
Trading, exchanging, sharing and, among all, swapping are the principles that motivate the project. A swap is defined by an exchange between two parties for an object or a service of equal value and by which no exchange of money is necessary. In the project, I am hoping that the people who will participate will feel that they get a fair and even trade at the closure of each exchange. On my part, the objects that will be given to me will help me to get in touch with local people, to discover personal stories, to understand their sensitivity and, in more general terms, to open an intimate window on the Mexican culture. In this project, I am attempting to step outside the boundaries of an economically based currency by replacing it with an affective one.
In addition to the actual art-object exchange, the process of publicizing the project, collecting objects and meeting with people will be documented and published online. The website functions as a kind of virtual travelogue and is updated on a regular basis for those interested in tracking the development of the project. The objects and documentation collected during the residency will then be used for exhibition and/or publication purposes.
Con todo mi afecto is an utopian project that attempts to create a small world where the sole worth of objects is based on their moral or sentimental value. Con todo mi afecto creates a breach, a brief moment outside of our time, where it is possible to envision a society that functions differently.