Gianni Plescia

SPEECH
10.10–11.03.1996

Public speaking requires specific skills: the speaker must be at ease and articulate, and the speech must be clear and coherent. However, such situations can also trigger feelings of discomfort—such as awkwardness, embarrassment, and a desire to retreat to safety. In the installation *Speech* (1996), the choice of materials and the arrangement of elements evoke settings such as press conferences, public hearings, and trials. Without assigning a specific function to this deserted setting, the work focuses on the physical and psychological conditions involved, where the speaker occupies a position of dominance while simultaneously facing a situation of intimidation. The audience is thus kept at a distance from an installation whose fragility inhibits speech rather than facilitating it.