Exercising Consent is a performance by Vanessa Lodigiani. Consent is understood as when one person agrees to or gives permission to another person to do something. Consent means agreeing to an action based on your knowledge of what that action involves, its likely consequences and having the option of saying no. The absence of no does not mean yes. Consent is about clear and open communication.

Together with the participating audience, Exercising Consent mediates on the idea of consent, its significance and how it is acted out in any given situation. Through question and response, affirmation and negation, Exercising Consent explores the feelings and choices behind these answers in order to become more conscious. In her performance, Lodigiani, places herself in the position of the consent giver, exercising her freedom to say yes or no to the petitions the participants make, thereby displaying the possibilities that these requests might bring to the table.

The off-site performance will take place in a storefront on Sabino in Santa María la Ribera. Within this interactive space, there will be a seesaw in the centre which acts as the channel of communication for this one-to-one performance. Am I ok with a no? Does a yes empower me? Does a no relieve me? Was this an exercise in consent? What is consent?