Human stillness offers a counterpoint to the rush of contemporary life, a way of being in the present moment which draws attention to the life in and around us: from momentary flickerings to patterns of change that occur on large scales and over long periods of time. Remaining deliberately still, one may feel part of a bigger whole, part of the environment. One might experience a kind of objectivity, and perceive more clearly the mechanism of city: traffic, commuting, and the constant ongoingness of human activity.
Still/City is an opportunity for anyone to participate in, or observe, one or more deliberate 20-minute stillnesses, and to experience the city in this alternative way.
Still/City is a project initiated by James Cunningham who partakes in each stillness.
Guidelines for participation:
- keep as still and quiet for as long as you can during the 20 minutes
- begin, stop, or restart whenever
- avoid any direct communication, including eye-contact, with others
It is performed during peak hours and early evening in various city locations in Brisbane as part of
- Exist in 08 Live Art Event, October 23–25, 2008
and in Edgecliff Park, Sydney, as part of
- SEAM 2011
