So far I have built a substantial list of references which have informed and inspired my research. So I thought that maybe it could have been useful to look at this list of designers and artists and see if I could get in contact with them to clarify some aspects of their practices and maybe grasp some insights about their process of designing.

The first person I contacted is Ted Hyunhak Yoon, whose project Decoding Dictatorial Statues has been my main source of inspiration. I acknowledge there is a significant difference between the phenomenon of my observation and the Hyunhak Yoon’s statues: statues are invariable matter whereas the handshake is a fluid performative act which cannot be frozen into a still image. For this reason, I emailed him in relation to the performative part of his exhibition Hands Gestures. I was wondering if he could share with me some material about his exhibition and insights about his creative process, how he ended up creating a performance, how it structured it and what was the aim. I’m still waiting his reply.

The second person I contacted is Jonas Berthod. Berthod Concrete Opera is an interesting transposition of a nowadays compelling issue into the fixed and archaic theatrical form of an Opera Libretto. I was interested in this kind of exploration in relation to the latest developments of my research. Now I am curious about the possibilities offered by different forms of narration to tell a story. Because I could not find a lot of material online I first asked to Berthod if he could share with me few more details in order to have a better comprehension of his project. Then I asked him about the choices he made and why specifically an Opera Libretto. Berthod replied very promptly and firstly I was glad to hear that my research reminded him Decoding Dictatorial Statues. He was very helpful about my doubts and he shared with me another interesting reference: an exhibition happened in Zurich in 2013 titled Talk to the Hand. Berthod also offered to ship me a copy of his Libretto, so I can have a closer look to the specific language he adopted and how the frame of an Opera can influence the perception of the story.