In 2018, Martina participated in the Divercity -workshop organised by MEDS in the city of Byblos, Lebanon. Her team Grow in Byblos focused on a particular old Roman pathway in the city where they created interventions and experimental projects to explore how the space could be used by the public. Every night the team did different interventions to attract local people to the space such as a zumba class, art workshop and musical evenings. The team also did changes in the space by building outdoor furniture, an outdoor movie night space, an edible garden, a gallery space and outdoor games. The interventions and ideas for the space were presented to the municipality of Byblos.

Inspired by Marina Abramović performance The Artist is Present (2010), Martina initiated a one night performance where she and some of her team members became performance artists who invited passersby to sit down with them in silence, only communicating through the eyes. Martina had the privilege to encounter many locals through the night and the eye connection created a sense of humanity and empathy with many of the people involved. This experiment was one of the first important explorations into Martina’s own performance art.

performance art & design / 2018