At night when all cats are astir, human beings produce melatonin while they sleep, a hormone created by the body as a result of serotonin breakdown. Light inhibits its production in the pineal gland, which only becomes active in the dark. Hence, melatonin also controls the 24-hour day-night cycle. The hormone can be administered as medication and is often used for shift work or to fight the symptoms of jet lag. It is now available over the counter in Europe.
The Atisuffix collective from Rome focus on sleep, drawing our attention to an over-illuminated consumer and information society that is awake and ready for activity every hour of every day. Atisuffix turn the entrance area of Universalmuseum Joanneum into a place of tiredness and sleep. A slowed-down escalator, a chiming lullaby, handing out melatonin to volunteers, performative acts, and night-time walks form a mutual action fabric for sleep.
The name Atisuffix has a double meaning. In Italian, the suffix –ati is an imperative and past tense form of reflective verbs, i.e. it designates both an activity that has finished and an activity yet to begin. The ambiguity of Italian grammar is used to create contradictions and interactions in each of their artistic projects. Sometimes, the group even replaces Atisuffix with another name in order to hamper recognition.
