How Does the encounter with “The Other” Shape our self?

We live in a world of others, and this interaction eventually shapes our self. We are the product of our experiences, memories, actions, interactions with “The Other”, and through these we are able to learn more about our self and become to know our self better. It is said that if we loose the connection with “The Other”, we would loose the connection with our self. Personally I agree with this statement because if it weren’t for my encounters with the people surrounding me, I feel I wouldn’t be the same person. Through them, I have been able to learn about my self such as: what excited me the most, what bothers me the most, what type of people do I consider my friends, who can I trust and many more.

After seeing Marina Abramovic’s and Ulay’s work, in relation to the topic of the encounter with the other, I believe life in general is about the encounter with “The Other”. In Abramovic’s and Ulay’s work we can see how their connection and their relationship allowed them to create art pieces that revealed how their lives were somewhat intertwined, they needed each other to create their work. And that is why I believe that as in art, we need each other to create our self.