Ilya Vidrin
Considered Care (2022)
This project is supported by a CAMD Seed Grant (Northeastern University).
Conflicts of care arise in value systems that are taught and learned, implicitly and explicitly. Philosophies of care question distinctions in dispositions of relating to, with, about, and for others, particularly in how care is manifest through action. Artistic approaches to care branch in multiple directions, one being critical engagement through creative disruption, focused on unsettling and overthrowing status quo, while another is more integrative, focused on fostering relationships and building community.
Moving from theory to practice, Considered Care is a short film featuring a duet between myself and Boston Ballet artist My'kal Stromile, in collaboration with cinematographer Sue Murad. The project was born out of conversations with Professor Ari Waldman, in which we discussed how care is (or is not) embodied, expressed, and integrated in the law. The work explores the necessity of embodied tension and resistance for care and support. Through the labor and effort of pulling, we create a precarious elasticity that demands attention yet allows for a deeper freedom in movement. By considering what is stipulated by the laws of physics, we negotiate norms of relation and the physical textures of how care can actually be practiced.
Link available upon request; run time: 08:52)