The project takes the form of an interactive installation challenging dominant understandings of failure through an immersive and contemplative route prompting participants to interact with one another by entangling threads, enabling the audience to explore the emotions related to the conditions of failing in different aspects of life in order to share renewed perspectives.
The overall experience offers a different framing of a time that praises progress, achievement and perfection, inviting people to dissect the notions of self-expression, social inclusion and public acceptance. Taking place at the Crypt Gallery, the installation was conceived as part of the Bloomsbury Festival 2020, whose theme is Vision: making visible hidden perspectives.
A few words about the motivation, process and collaborators behind the project, from Spatial Practice Prize winners Sara and Paolo:
“The project started as a critical reflection about the conditions, reasons and cultural behaviours underpinning self-representation to then investigate the influences that a society aiming at always appearing successful and flawless exerts on how we represent ourselves in digital and physical environments.
These initial insights led us to pursue sociological and psychological studies on the concept of failure and self-representation and to conduct social research on the perception of failure among the general public. Along the process we were driven by the goal of creating a design piece raising enquiries through a physical and intellectual experience that would have a materiality in space.
Along with our commitment and dedication, we were able to push the process forward thanks to the enthusiasm of a multidisciplinary group of collaborators, the support of the organisations who have been interested in our work – Fail Better Talks and The Crypt Gallery – and the valuable contribution of the collaboration with PONZIO SRL, which was fundamental to the realisation of the project, supplying high-quality aluminium profiles already cut and drilled free of charge, which contributed to the project budget and optimised production times.
Rooting Failure is a project we conceived and developed from research through to concept and production. In our roles as creative directors and project managers, we acknowledge that the success of Rooting Failure was made possible through our collaboration with a large and varied team of people who helped us at different stages and whom we would like to thank again and again.”
