There is a prevailing myth that contemporary society is evolving, becoming more civil and more rational. That with enough mindfulness, therapy, and curated self-care, wounds will heal, and rage and grief will dissipate. The Pits does not believe in this myth and the artists have created a space for what lingers, for what refuses to be soothed or neatly resolved.
The work takes its name from the belly of the theatre, from the sensation in the stomach and from the void that emerges when things go wrong. The space has been created to allow for unspoken emotions—for resentment, exhaustion, envy, suspicion, and anger with no socially acceptable outlet. It is here for the things that cannot be metabolised into productivity, for the ways contemporary politics, debt, and bureaucracy can feel as an assault.
For five months, Al-Maria and Ourahmane will transform Somerset House Studios’ project space into a black box that shifts and bends—a room designed to welcome unwelcomed feelings, to allow for grieving. The Pits is intended as an unapologetic space that invites us to collectively discuss what happens when we stop performing and sit with the difficult emotions.
The installation asks visitors to occupy, alter and modify the arrangement of the space throughout the day. Over the five-month period, The Pits will be made available for booking by invited or uninvited guests.
More information on how to book The Pits and access the programme to follow.
