Operating on the basis of the ‘before and after’ logic, historical documents were often demonstrative of a transformation: traumatized soldiers being cured, workers adapting to new roles, the disadvantaged child developed into a worthy citizen. But the making of these documents is not only a means of constructing proof that the subjects in the image were transformed; it becomes in itself part of that transformation, as it engages the soldiers, workers or children in the enactment of a developmental scenario.
It is the effect of such representational practices upon our self-understanding and conduct that is negotiated by the contemporary works in the exhibition. The artists explore how different representational forms – press briefings, virtual reality exposure therapy, roleplay trainings, reality TV – make us feel and act in certain ways. Performing Evidence suggests that such shaping of sentiments, attitudes and actions can be traced back to the early twentieth century.