Esse est percipi (2020), PAR, Sant’Oreste in rete PERCORSI e TRACCE all’aperto e salute ambientale per un nuovo stile di vita e di cultura, Monte Soratte, Rome IT

During the first few days of my artist residency at Sant’Oreste, I felt like a stranger in the very small hamlet, where I also felt constantly looked at. One evening, to transform this uncomfortable sensation and turn things around, I covered my face with 3D plastic googly eyes and walked around.

This playful and unexpected gesture allowed me to meet people, look back at them in a new way, and engage them in conversations, breaking the initial barrier of unfamiliarity. This creative approach helped me connect with the community and change my experience from feeling watched to becoming an active participant in the social life of Sant’Oreste.

The Latin phrase Esse est percipi means “to be is to be perceived.” It is famously associated with the philosopher George Berkeley and his argument that the existence of object depends on their being perceived by the senses.

Photo Sergio