HELENA OSPINA
LIZARRALDE
Being and Star
Ser (being) in Spanish attributes to an individual an intrinsic, natural or permanent quality; star (estrella) is a star in English and its sound in Spanish attributes a non-permanent characteristic or attribute that results from an action. Being is to exist within oneself and star is to exist in the midst of certain circumstances from outside oneself. Being as a star corresponds to particular conditions, in which it is the focus of attention for others, it refers to success, to spectacle and to a narcissistic idealization.
The first performance of this series occurred on December 10, 2018 in a tejo court. Unexpectedly for the tejo players and the other people present, I assumed the role of presenter of an event in which I was actually presenting myself as a star artist. I encouraged the audience to give me ovations without more justification than simply being a star. When I proclaimed myself a star, completely leaving my usual comfort zone, the others reacted in a correlative way, like those who appreciated a great show. This was the first performance of a series in which one plays with the meaning and practice of those three words.
Through the implementation of a certain way of acting I was able to create a certain aura about me for others. It was a very effective way to demonstrate certain mechanisms in which our society works now a days and at the same time questioning them to the extent that we can reflect over our existence in this plane.