Rosa Weissenmayer

When was the last time you were truly bored? The last time you sat in silence? The last time you didn’t chase that uncomfortable feeling away with your favourite favourite stimuli?

Many consider boredom a negative state, with Søren Kierkegaard describing it as “the root of all evil”. Others, such as Walter Benjamin, view boredom more positively, calling it “the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience”.

Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between.

This project explores boredom — its dangers and its benefits — ultimately aiming to create space for boredom amidst the constant fight for your attention.

Bordolief is a speculative project imagining a future in which boredom has become extinct. In this future, researchers have discovered the important role boredom plays in self-discovery, brain function, and development, and have decided to capitalise on this once-free commodity. Bordolief encourages audiences to embrace boredom, highlighting it as a beneficial and necessary element of the human experience.

Life without boredom is utterly boring.