The artistic installationThe Square– the topic of the eponymous film byRuben Östlund,came to life on the first day of the festival.It was installed by stage designerJosefinÄsberg, who also told the audience the story about the installation, together with Östlund. The two of them do not perceive it as art but rather as traffic signs, regulations that people have no problems to abide by. The Square tests human solidarity and also our trust in each other. Östlund andÄsberg demonstrated it on the spot.
Östlundinvited the audience to leave their cell phones inside the Square, joking that the festival will compensate them for any damage sustained. Still, besides Ruben and Josefin, only one visitor left her cell phone there. Another exception was the festival programmerJurica Pavičić, who was so full of trust that he even left his wallet in there. The audience was rather skeptical about the square on the first day, but they will have another opportunity in the days to come, when various objects will be placed in the square in order to motivate the audience to participate in this social experiment.
