‘The Open Body’ The world is in crisis. The physical matter, the space, our bodies and consequently our identity, is in crisis too. Art can play an essential role in transforming this crisis. From the union of healing, dance and collaborations on projects of socially engaged art, I generated a tool that can be freely appropriated by the participants and society. The Open Body was that possible utopia: an essential manifestation of a culture. The Open Body was a live performance with a participating audience on a basketball court in New York. On May 8, 2013, fifty-four bodies were assembled, gathering participants from Clinton Hill and BedStuy’s communities. Al Pierre, a Brooklyn rapper, gave guidelines to generate collective action with the help of an audio piece consisting of 9 songs and 9 movements: an exhortation to walk and perform the body.

Raúl Hott is an architect, educator, and cultural producer that does work about the body. He is an artist based in New York and Santiago of Chile. Hott holds an MFA in New Forms from Pratt Institute. He designs collective experiences for public spaces and natural environments. Raúl Hott is an architect, educator, and cultural producer that does work about the body. He is an artist based in New York and Santiago of Chile. Hott holds an MFA in New Forms from Pratt Institute. He designs collective experiences for public spaces and natural environments.