CODOMESTICATION

The artist couple Krõõt Juurak and Alex Bailey – proud parents of Albert – deal with issues of gender policy in raising a child in CODOMESTICATION. In this project, they have invited their son to act as a co-director and collaborator in designing (and possibly performing) the work. Co-living and collaborating with a toddler can be challenging and sometimes even infuriating – we grownups may well have to give up some if not all our personal wishes and artistic ideals to make this work possible. “Children force adults to be either anarchists or authoritarians”, Darren O’Donnell stated in Haircuts by Children. Children are considered an economic burden, someone to care for, and at the same time they are usually not allowed at the workplace, let alone a job of their one and participation in matters that matter to them. A society where you have to choose between work and spending time with your children is not good enough for us. As the meaning of work is changing rapidly, we will have to look at children to understand what work will look like in the future. With their well-known brand of dry humour, Krõõt Juurak and Alex Bailey will attempt to find common ground with their toddler collaborator. By combining affective labour and childcare with artistic work, CODOMESTICATION addresses the precarious nature of both.