The installation is based on the sanbenito or habitello penitential garment from the Middle Ages used as a punishment and worn by those condemned by the church in Roman Catholic countries such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal. In the context of our modern day, dominated by social networks overflowing with voluntarily uploaded images, the inquisition of online culture is flourishing, and no doubt each of us has been the object to second- hand shame* (Fremdscham) without even realizing it. The installation invites us to share on the garment images from our everyday lives that awaken in us a sense of second-hand shame, but at the same time, to put on the “habitello” and consciously become a collective object of shame.

*Second-hand shame or Fremdscham (also known as secondary) is the feeling of shame we experience when observing another person’s shameful actions. Unlike general shyness, Fremdscham is not a feeling of shame about oneself or one’s own actions; rather, it is a feeling of shame after witnessing (visually and/or verbally) someone else’s shameful act. These emotions can be perceived as pro-social, and some say they can be seen as motivations for following socially and culturally acceptable behaviour.