The Pin, 2025performative intervention
Given the chance to become a part of an exclusive group of individuals or to opt-out and remain within a larger public, what would you choose? The Pin delves into social rules and dynamics that govern public space. In the performative intervention, a team of performers approach passers-by and initiate a conversation. A special pin was handed out to those who were willing to join in on a secret, dividing the public space into insiders and outsiders.
Private information subtly solidified the social relations between the pin-carriers: warm greetings were given among pin-wearers and drinks shared in a park-side-hangout. The social bond created by the group was a strong one, with participants returning to the site afterwards, even with less-than-ideal weather. On the other hand, some partakers felt obliged to return the pin, unable to keep the secret. Some park attendees refused all together and were left puzzled:. What exactly is bubbling under the public space, who might the participants be and what exactly is the group participating in? Meanwhile, those carrying the pin share a social consequence, being the people who have to navigate the ethics of exclusivity. Collectively they make implicit decisions regarding who to shut out, what information to withhold and from whom.
The performance is based on Takala’s experiences attending Finland’s National Defence Course, an invite-only course for VIPs in Finnish society, designed to foster willingness for national defence and preparedness. Course attendees receive a pin upon completion, often seen in media around topics consequential to national security.
Concept: Pilvi TakalaCurator: Taylor ZakarinAssistant Curator: Constanza ValenzuelaAssistant Director: Reyna Bonaparte-SandozPin design: Hanna ArvelaActors: Alyssa Alizor, Naomi Asa, Kevin Emilio Pérez, Amelia “Meg Spectre” Sylvor Greenberg, Petrina Ampeire, Marty Chandler, Eva Dorrepaal, Willem Ehrenfreund, Summer Gan, Justin Hofstad, Yuki Kawahisa, Michael ValladaresThank you: Vanessa Carlos, Constant Dullaart, Stine Marie Jacobsen, Maria Pulli
Co-commissioned by High Line Art and Frieze.
Documentation: Filip Wolak and Charlie Rubin. Courtesy of Friends of the Highline and Frieze; Casey Kelbaugh. Courtesy of Frieze and CKA.
