semibreve: the table of discomfort

The Table of Discomfort is a context-aware system. The idea is to seat two strangers face to face and ask them to simply look into each other’s eyes. Inspired by The Artist is Present, by Marina Abramović, the project reactivates the table as an instrument of intimacy and discomfort, rather than removing it as an obstacle between bodies. In this forced silence, the system senses and responds through several sensors distributed above and below the table, translating physical discomfort into movement, image and sound. This data is further merged with information gathered in real time from the internet, seismic, solar and marine data, linking the intimate gesture of two strangers to planetary phenomena unfolding, invisibly, on a global scale.

This exhibition is part of Edigma Semibreve Scholar, a program of the Semibreve Festival, organized in partnership with the Portuguese company EDIGMA, dedicated to supporting and promoting artistic, audio, and multimedia creations developed by higher education students in Portugal.

The Semibreve Festival is organized by the Auaufeiomau Cooperative, with support from the City of Braga

Admission is free during the three days of the festival until 18:30 p.m. Afterwards admission limited to holders of a 4-Day Pass or a gnration Daily Ticket and is subject to venue capacity

More information at festivalsemibreve.com

Supported by the Portuguese Republic – Culture, Youth, and Sports / Directorate-General for the Arts / Network of Portuguese Theaters and Cinemas (RTCP). Portuguese Contemporary Art Network (RPAC).