How do we stimulate new forms of caring, for ourselves and for each other? What does new kinship look like in our increasingly atomized everyday life; and how can we form liquid dependencies among each other?
Liquid Dependencies is a simulation of an informal and decentralised care system in the form of a game. Whoever plays the game experiments with new forms of care and collectivity. Relationships grow, connection is rewarded and caring relationships form an alternative social safety net.
Liquid Dependencies is part of the ReUnion Network and builds on previous gaming experiences and experiments in Shanghai biennial, both initiated by Yin Aiwen.
During Common In, ReUnion picks up the thread in Amsterdam and makes a new reality of caring and community tangible. The caring economy is under construction, and at Liquid Dependencies we’ll dive deep in it together.
There will be a total of five gaming sessions taking place on 8 May, 22 May, 5 June, 12 June, and 19 June, from 12:00-17:00 at Framer Framed. To sign up, please drop us a line at liquiddependencies@gmail.com on why you’re interested and which session you’d like to join.
*The registration for 22 May is now open. Please stay tuned for the announcement for the later sessions.
8 May, 12:00-17:00
22 May, 12:00-17:00
5 June, 12:00-17:00
12 June, 12:00-17:00
19 June, 12:00-17:00
Interview
YIN AIWEN
You are bringing in a project that is based on longer term work, called ReUnion Network. Can you describe what that entails? ReUnion Network started out from the question: how can we reimagine the social organization for sustaining our society? I think to create a network of neo-kinship, which is about the people that care about us in the longterm, support us on a daily basis, but are not necessarily blood related. This kind of structure could stimulate relational thinking, where we are not thinking of each other as competitive beings, but very much relational and caring.
People can participate in a game during your project, can you share some specifics?
You can call it a simulation, but it’s actually a larp game to test and rehearse what kind of future the neo kinship system might bring about. It will become a process of collective storytelling. The game involves different characters and their six attributes: available free time, personal wellbeing, relational health, safety net, stability and finance. Players will dig into their character’s personality and social situation and build relationships with the other players, all the while life events happen.
So can you become friends in the game?
Every players’ personal token can be combined with other player’s token and become a ‘relational coin’, which is constantly regenerating while you’re having a functioning relationship. The coin is consensual: you can only spend it when both players agree to it. So people keep having conversations about their relationships and the rewards that it brings.
How long does a game take?
It can go on forever because it’s actually life. But usually four or five hours pass and people experience a half life time in the game – around 20 to 30 years.
Biography
Yin Aiwen is a practicing designer, artist, theorist, strategist and project developer who uses writing, speculative design and time-based art to examine the social impact of planetary communication technologies. She advocates relationship-focused design as a strategy to redesign, re-engineer and reimagine the relationship between technology and society. Besides publishing and exhibiting internationally, she also works as a strategist and researcher for cultural institutions.
Yin obtained an MFA degree from the Design department of Sandberg Instituut Amsterdam, and a BFA in Visual Communication from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. She is a Graduation Curatorial tutor at the Master Institute of Visual Cultures (AKV | St.Joost) and a researcher of the “Autonomy in Art and Design” division in Avans University in the Netherlands.
Her notable projects such as ReUnion Network, Urbanizing the Digital, and Commons Art has received financial support from NWO, Creative Industries Fund NL, Mondriaan Fonds, Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst and more. Yin’s work has been discussed and shown at renowned venues such as Shanghai Biennale re:publica, Transmediale, Art Basel Miami, Het Nieuwe Instituut etc.