In summer 2013, Outset supported the presentation of Pedro Reyes’ Sanatorium as part of the exhibition The Spirit of Utopia at the Whitechapel Gallery, London.
Sanatorium comprises a suite of treatment rooms offering a variety of group and individual therapies.
Originally trained as an architect, Reyes is interested in using therapy as a methodologyand material with which to make work. Combining the language and theory of psychology and analysis with that of other disciplines such as theatre, performance, fine art and philosophy, Reyes tests the theory of ‘Sociatry’. This science and art of healing society was first articulated in 1930 by Jacob Levi Moreno as a way of curing the ills associated with urban living.
Sanatorium was premiered in 2011, by the Guggenheim in New York and presented in 2012 at dOCUMENTA 13, Kassel. Uniquely Pedro Reyes re-designs each of the iterations of the Sanatorium.
Sanatorium comprises of 16 therapies one of which is the ‘Philosophical Casino’. ‘Philosophical Casino’ works as an oracle and is a group or individual therapy. The participants are asked to write down three questions, which perhaps could be a decision that is needed to be made in life, one they wish to gain some clarity concerning. In a group situation the participants place their questions in a box, and each takes a turn to pick one out. The participants choose a question, pick a die and roll.
Working as the dice or dreidals each of the five fibre glass polyheydra is dedicated to one of the following philosophical categories: English, Far East, Renaissance, XIX century philosophy in German and mid-20th century philosophy. Quotes from prominent philosophers such as Kant, John Locke and Jean-Paul Sartre are screen printed on each of their sides.
Participants are encouraged to give feed back and to discuss how the quote sheds light on their question.
