Welcome to the audiovisual cycle of digital video-essays that explores the intersections of ritual, productivity and intimacy through a critical lens. In this series we delve into the complexities and nuances of these concepts, examining how they intersect and shape our everyday lives. All this through the viewing of digital video-essays by the artists Andrés Rizo, Mayte Gómez, Mit Borras + Rachel Lamot, Momu & No Es and Operator, after which we will have a colloquium with some of the artists.

We will examine rituals, both personal and cultural, and how they shape our lives. From the mundane routines of everyday life to grandiose ceremonies and politics, we explore how rituals serve to structure and define our experiences.

Moving on to productivity, we examine the often obsessive drive to achieve, to be productive and to constantly improve. We ask whether this pursuit of productivity is sustainable and whether it comes at a cost to our physical and mental health.

We then focus on the body and how it is commodified, fetishised and controlled. From the canons of beauty to the medicalisation of our bodies, we explore the ways in which society tries to regulate and profit from our physical forms. Our exploration of the body takes us beyond the physical and into the realm of representation. We examine the politics of intimacy, looking at how relationships, sexuality and emotional connections are negotiated in a world that often only values them insofar as they can be monetised or exploited.

Finally, we explore intimacy, both within relationships and in our relationship with ourselves. We examine how intimacy is sought and feared, and how it can be used as a tool for control and manipulation.

Throughout this series, we take a critical view, questioning the assumptions and power structures that underlie these issues. We invite you to join us in this exploration, to question your own assumptions and to engage in a dialogue about the complex forces that shape our lives.