If you saw us running (playing tag) without knowing us, would you dare to join?
 
There were som young people who talked about joining but they didn't dare. They made some movement. I was surprised that so many people smiled at us when we were running in between the mass of bodies passing by, trying to catch each other. Maybe they saw happiness in our faces when we played this simple game from childhood. Maybe they remember how it felt.
 
Is it that easy to spread joy? 
 
Was it because we are grown-ups? Grownups don't run with big smiles trying to catch each other in a place where people pass quickly. Grownups don't create disturbance in the flow of people. They behave. Would teenagers (like the ones who talked about joining in) get the same reaction? Or are they expected to take space, they often do.
 
We went into the shoppingcenter. It was a completely different feeling. Could you describe how the shoppingcenter felt?
 
It' was full of plastic bags. People appeared then usual with all their christmaspresent around their legs. Their bodies were occupied.
 
Did you notice the security guards? Who are they securing?
 
Stopping shoplifters I guess. Throwing out any homeless person with too many plastic bags of the wrong kind. The plastic bags should be fresh. They didn't care about us. They just watched us and talked in their radio transmitters. I wonder what they said. Maybe they were playing secret agents and gave each other reports. The guy closest to the door tells the others who to spot. They were apparently in charge of different areas. 
 
How did you want to respond to the shopping malls? What did your body want to do?
 
There is a constant flow of bodies there. A restless energy. Especially lunch-hour five days before christmas. 25% of all toys are bought these weeks, 15% of books, jewelry and electronics. It was interesting to be in the flow of bodies and then do something unexpected. To walk with another and stop both at once. Or to stand still in the flow. Just a small thing was enough to make me odd.
 
What about you?
 
I liked to be on the move. The walking, stopping and turning worked very well. The rest of the score we decided on sort of disappeared. It was interesting to work with spreading out and gathering. Taking in a huge space with my body in a network of other dancers.
 
It was also nice to do some contactimpromoves. To jam in the middle. To decide a dancefloor and use it.
 
Loads of people stopped and watched. How did you react to that?
 
I heard a young girl say: "It is scary I can't see where one body stops and the other begin". We were turning and spinning, getting down on the floor and up again. I was surprised by the friendly atmosphere around us. I even touched a woman's handbag with my shoe when came down from someone's shoulder and she just smiled to me.
 
All of a sudden I was just lying on my back in the middle of the floor. Two streams of shoppers passing me by; one by my head, an other by my feet. I could feel the floor of stone (that the cleaners polishes to keep shiny). I stared up in the emptiness, up into the next floor of stores. Lying still in a place I've never been still before.

Did you like it? Or was it scary?

I wasn't scared at first. I felt that we were a group, I could always find the others. I became uncomfortable when we started dancing for a longer time at the same place. When shoppers stopped and stared at us.

Why were you scared of people looking?
 
We were the show. Giving energy so people could continue shopping. We strengthened the view of this shopping mall as the mall where events happen (Their slogan is: Stockholm happening: the time for surprise is here). Do you now they actually advertise themselves as that?
 
Didn't know. So we became part of that. We gave surprises to a lot of people. Don't know if they have noticed the slogan of the shopping mall.
 
We went to another shopping mall. A more luxurious one. How was that different?
 
There was no in between, all space was part of the store. I felt more like a potential shoplifter than anything else. I've actually never been inside it for real before.
 
I've bought toys there and books. Had lunch there too. I feel comfortable around the place. But it had a different feeling. People did not react as much. There was no response. I got the feeling that most of them didn't see us at all – even if we took a really large space.
 
How did we suddenly end up in the stairs on the topfloor singing christmas carols? How did christmas get into our bodies?
 
It was surreal. We where standing in the staircase and our voices filled the whole space. I almost started crying, no, ok, I actually did cry. It was beautiful, it was sad and it was scary. I was not at home here, my body couldn't find a home here (yet). 
 
We just started humming and then suddenly it evolved into christmas carols. We had been totally immersed in christmas- decoration when we moved from the bottom floor to the top. I guess it influenced our systems.
 
Do you want do dance for these people? Can you do something else than dance FOR the people?
 
I didn't feel I danced for the people. I played with you!
 
Thanks, sorry I missed out on some of the fun by being scared. That isn't taking me anywhere, is it?
 
Emotions are fine. Their connection to body is interesting. You can start from there.
 
But didn't it change for you when we took the decision, all six of us, to see this as our studio? That we take this space to use as we like. We use this space that exists and is accessible instead of renting a studio?
 
Yes, I kind of got into it for a bit. The best scene for me was when I, on my own, shambled backwards round the whole platform. It was also great to watch you other people appear in small glimpses behind the pillars. 
 
My body reacted to the place. I needed to run. It is something I do when I get a lot of impressions that confuses me or just too many of them. There was very little contact in this place compared to where we danced before. Don´t like running far, a hundred meters grounds me. 
 
One of the employees of the place told us to "go and play somewhere else. Maybe Sergelstorg (a big square outside) or somewhere where you can do what you like."  It was a friendly tone but it specified that what we do is play, and that we can´t do what we like here.
 
It is obvious that we broke some rule when we did what we wanted to do in the space that  is built for shopping.
 
What's the next step?
 
Go there again? No, I'm not too keen. Even though it's warm and that's something to consider in swedish winter. Still, I long for the fresh outdoor. 
 
I really missed the air!
 
Practically I'm scared of the ice.
 
Yeah! We have to be careful. But we have some indoors spaces to explore. And I found a nice woodenfloor in a public space which is accessible. Or we could try a museum.  Or another kind of junkspace.
 
 
Exploration number: 016
Hosted by Skälva
Where: Junkspace in Stockholm
When: 19th of December 2011
Duration: 13.00-14.30
Participants: Christian, Enzo, Jenny, Jon, Pablo and Ulrika
Archive matrial: – smart phone photos, text