Curatorial duo Rivet (Sarah Demeuse and Manuela Moscoso) considers resonance, a notion they take from philosopher Levi Bryant's The Democracy of Objects, as a perspective on, and potential way of, interacting with the world. Informed by their current exhibitions, Resonance at the Goethe-Institut New York and Resonance and Repetition on view at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, as well as by ongoing discussions with collaborators and artists, their talk highlights artistic projects and so touches upon current models of resistance, activism, or withdrawal.

In particular, the following questions are raised in this presentation: How can we begin to talk about social impact when annulling distinctions between subjects and objects, or action and inaction? How can we move marks of distinction? In what kind of regimes of attraction can the art object participate, and what does it do differently from other objects?

Rivet was founded in 2010 by Sarah Demeuse and Manuela Moscoso. The office focuses on long-term collaborations with artists and research that takes shape in different formats, from conversations, small circle reading groups, writing and workshops, to exhibitions. Sarah also translates and edits, and is currently part of the 9th Mercosur Biennial Porto Alegre curatorial team. Manuela is co-director of Capacete, an international residency and research program located in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil.