"In 2011 I made about 100 random telephone calls to numbers found in the registry of the Malmö area and talked to people about their relation to loneliness. I wanted to find the potential human connection that might exist if we dare break the social codes and interfere in each other's lives. The fascinating thing was that through 5-minute conversations about loneliness I experienced creating a bond with a total stranger.

The project started as an investigation of my own agenda as an artist: What is it that I want to touch in other people? And why? Peeling off all the layers of form and concept I was left with a strong wish to feel connected, to other people, my country, the world.

I'm curious about these themes. What is the essential task of artists in our society? How honest do we dare to be? Does form and concept have a tendency to blur our real purpose?"

In the RAPP experiment, Danish performance artist Marie Hauge takes the investigation further, from random telephone calls to one-on-one meetings - or performances for one? - exploring the fine line between personal and artistic contact. As part of the experiment, film director Mette Carla Albrechtsen (DK) produces material for a documentary on the process.

Laboratoriet's video report is available here in two versions: Danish version and with English subtitles.

In the additional video: The Act and Art of Kindness: The phone calls, created by Mette Carla Albrechtsen and Marie Hauge during the experiment, you can see examples of some of the telephone calls that preceded the meetings.

Concept and performer: Marie Hauge (DK).

Documentarian: Mette Carla Albrechtsen (DK).

Facilitator from Laboratoriet: Barbara Simonsen (DK).