Engagement Acts | stills sequence
photography
ENGAGEMENT ACTS | STILLS SEQUENCE
Edition of three | >>> Blockchain registered
The Engagement Acts project originated as a video work composed of a series of video recordings documenting various types of performative actions in which Morucchio engages with elements of the seascape. The artist's actions unfold in a desolate and barren seascape, creating a specific alienating atmosphere. This is achieved through controlled shots, stark contrasts, and a limited color palette. These actions involve Morucchio interacting with the natural elements of the environment—tree trunks, rocks, and sand. These are cathartic, liberating gestures, yet also manifestations of a primal, instinctive creativity and rituality that have characterized some of his previous installation projects, such as Eidetic Bush, Play God, Sri Yantra, and Rivoluzioni. The first expression of the Engagement Acts project took the form of a video projection for >>> The Scent of Time, a group exhibition produced by >>> DBF and curated by Caterina Corni, under the supervision of Lightbox Venice/Dhaka 2019. Alongside the projection in Dhaka, a sequence of images taken from the performance actions—digitally processed and printed on small aluminum squares—were displayed on a wall adjacent to the projection. In 2024, Morucchio expands the project by selecting nine frames from each different performative action documented in the videos. These nine frames—essentially photographs—interrupt the flow of the moving action, capturing the most significant stills that reveal the essence of each performance. The works in the Stills Sequence series are photographic prints mounted on aluminum and finished with black shadow box frames. Each piece features a sequence of nine horizontal images, representing different moments from the corresponding video clips.
