YARA + DAVINA

The world? An arrivals hall. Us human beings? Information on a display board. This is how one could interpret «Arrivals + Departures» by YARA + DAVINA. But that would not do justice to this British duo.

With their participative installation, accompanied by different dialogue formats, Yara El-Sherbini and Davina Drummond invite us to confront existential questions: How do we, as a society, celebrate life? How do we commemorate the dead? How do we feel about our past? By what means do we express ourselves? The audience is invited to submit, live or online, the names of people who have recently arrived amongst or departed from us. The names are displayed on two display boards such as we see in airports or train stations.

YARA + DAVINA put great emphasis on the accessibility of their works. They do so by referring to pop culture and everyday elements but also by involving the audience directly in their works. Thus the two analogue display boards, which stand in stark contrast to the digital screens we consult daily to navigate the social media, unfold their poetic power. They assume importance because they display names of people who are dear to the people present on site. (rb)