8 Acts of Love : Situated encounters.

The article focuses on the interactive exhibition *8 Acts of Love*, co-curated by Dr Alice Bell and artist Carron Little, which draws on the archive of Out of Site Chicago, an international collective of women, trans, and non-binary artists engaged in public performance art since 2011. Presented at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, in 2023, the exhibition reimagines public spaces in Chicago and Lincoln as sites of love, healing, and relational transformation, emphasizing freedom of expression, peaceful protest, and community agency through embodied, participatory performances. Drawing on philosophical frameworks including Luce Irigaray's concept of "Love as Encounter," Bracha Ettinger's "carriance," and David Hume's principles of cause and effect, the project explores how situated artistic encounters can challenge societal norms and foster cross-cultural dialogue. The exhibition also connects historical documents like the Magna Carta and Indigenous Wampum belts to contemporary discussions on equity, mutual care, and the right to public space, while involving students and local publics in creating new "afterlives" of original performances to extend their social and political impact.