In the past few days I was talking a lot about obsessiveness. The way I used the word was different that usual understanding of it, which has rather negative connotation. I have been using the word in a very free flowing manner so far, which brought the role of context into my awareness. Context was always of a particular interest to me In my work I played with context a lot, using the methods of de-contextualising and re-contextualising to create my artworks. Since recently I became interested in the context again but from a different point of view. Since I’ve changed my name, I’ve been observing my experience of removing part of the context, excites me. I am very aware of the role context plays in our lives. It is barely impossible to experience something outside of some sort of context. Even if it is not a direct verbal information, there is always some processing happening on the level of bodily experience, which provides certain context.
Despite of this seemingly inescapable framework, I believe there is a possibility to have various degrees of context. I am very curios in this topic so in the upcoming few days I will dive into it and explore here.
I’ll start easy, by telling why context caught my attention recently. I’ve been meeting new people online, followed a few courses and became part of some online communities. What is interesting, and which I rarely experienced before, is the level and quality of connection that you you can establish with someone without knowing much. It made me thinking about the role of contact in interpersonal communication.. Once context is introduced, the conversation will change direction. There is quality of context that can’t be undone. If it is there, it will automatically takes into account. So I became very aware about the influence of context and its shaping quality. Interestingly enough that most interesting conversations were happening with as little context as possible. When the situation like this was created, non-contextual space, people were establishing a connection based on other set of values. There was much more individual presence which was manifested through thoughts, ideas which go beyond past achievements. This circumstance opened up different type of connection which I found very appealing. The weight of context was lifted and new potentiality was showing. The more experiences like that I had, the more I became curious in a possibility to eliminate as much context as possible while taking to people, in order to establish connection which will emerge from conversation itself.
It isn’t an easy task to do, living out context is weird. Not just for me, as I constantly have to keep an eye on myself, but also others would seek context. I find it difficult to while myself out, for example when direct question is being posed to me. I do find my ways though, which I will share in the upcoming days. There is an interesting paradoxical halo around context. It is both clarifying and polluting, directing and misleading, beneficial and harmful. Paradoxes make my herd beat faster. Get ready for a ride, I am gonna try to unfold some petals surrounding this omnipresent concept. Defined by Noel Williams as all those things in the situation which are relevant to meaning in some sense, but which I haven’t identified. Very ambiguous and though provoking, just the way I like it.