In collaboration with Modelo62, with support of Performing Art Fund NL.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As long as political leaders and we, consumers, are not taking responsibility for our pollution through the effects of global capitalism, we continue to destroy our planet while blinding ourselves to our influence with comfort. An artist’s power is limited in the grander scheme of geopolitical decision making, but by focusing efforts towards creating thought-provoking and personally confrontational experiences by sharing the notion of hopefulness in a polluted wasteland, artistic works can invite critical reflection on our consumerist behavior. If we are willing to confront ourselves and take action, we could make a difference.
SUMMARY
Pay To Destroy [PTD] is an activistic concert where the audience members’ behavior influences the musical output as ‘agents of pollution’, creating a personal sense of urgency and taking the listeners on a contemplative journey. By interacting live during a performance, each listener can choose to make virtual ‘micro-transactions’ to improve their own comfort and by doing so: destroy aspects of the ongoing composition. Such actions irreversibly alter musical patterns which form the basis of the composition, thereby audibly ‘polluting’ the music. There will also be options for ‘healing’ at the cost of comfort, and ‘purchases’ that are more ambiguous in nature. These payments, including their impact, are announced during the piece and are interwoven with the ongoing vocal narration about personal dilemma’s related to “comfort of living” versus “environmental responsibility”.
Every new presentation of the piece will store the previous developments of musical alterations and destructions. The stored audience decisions assure that the impact of previous viewers’ locations and micro transactions keep influencing the next performances. Similar to the decisions of generations before us and our own.
BACKGROUND
As a critical thinker and activist Petrovic has campaigned against international trade treaties, such as TTIP and CETA, to stop their impact on the environment and the further shifting of legal power towards multinational companies. He has campaigned on social media and was involved in multiple physical protests. Additionally, as a citizen and human being he tries to minimise his own ecological footprint by his way of living. In the current digital revolutions it’s easy to delude ourselves in technological exoticism and with the many services we take for granted as being “free of footprint” while in reality they are not. The internet and now the increased use of AI are big ones in this, that cost tremendous amounts of energy and physical space and other resources.
So far, his activistic motivations and actions have been mostly separated from his artistic career. With PTD Petrovic hopes to find ways to utilise his expertise as composer, system developer and performing artist to have an impact on how we consumers relate ourselves to our own comfort and its impact on our home planet. He is aware that his power to shift thinking is limited, but he will attempt to sharpen our senses nonetheless.