Unveiling urban landscapes: Alisa Oleva’s performances during the pandemic

Abstract

This text explores the evolving landscape of performance art in the face of pandemic restrictions, shedding light on the repercussions of audience deprivation and the subsequent exploration of digital platforms as a means of artistic expression. Focusing on some artistic performances of Alisa Oleva, the text investigates how her exploration of touching and walking as a medium influences the understanding of urban landscapes. By using the city as her studio and manipulating everyday life, Oleva uncovers the hidden stories and meanings embedded within inside and outside spaces, to examine questions related to women’s histories, traces, and surfaces. In particular, we focus on Walking Home (2020), a performance that, in addition to providing an interesting example of walking as an aesthetic practice, raises political and activist questions, such as how the pandemic-induced confinement masks deeper issues, namely the safety of the domestic environment for those who identify themself as women. Through various performances, we delve into the theme of seeing and touching, emphasising the significance of sensory perception as embodied human beings. Moreover, the text highlights how our passages and connections with different environments contribute to shaping the very meaning of the places we encounter in the world. In addition, the text acknowledges the transformative power of personal experiences in crafting the narrative of our collective story.