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EndlessInstallation:AGhostStoryForAdults

CHARACTERS(inorderofappearance):

TheBoxman

TheFather

TheManager

RolandBarthes

AbyWarburg

MeirAgassi

WalterBenjamin

FrederickKiesler

Doctor

JuhaniPallasmaa

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THEENTRANCE

TheBoxman.Thisisatale,ofcourse.Thisstoryisinactoftakingplace.Sinceyouhearityou

havetheobligationofbeingoneofthecastofcharacters.

TheManager.Verywell,--butwheredoesallthistakeus?

The Father. Nowhere! It ismerely to show you that one is born to life inmany forms, inmany

shapes.Soonemayalsobebornacharacterinaplay.

(break)

The Father.Hewhohashadthelucktobebornacharactercanlaughevenatdeath.Hecannot

die.

(break)

The Father.Hewhohashadthelucktobebornacharactercanlaughevenatdeath.Hecannot

die.

(break)

TheManager.Andwhereisthe"book"?

TheFather.Itisinus!Thedramaisinus,andwearethedrama.Weareimpatienttoplayit.Our

innerpassiondrivesusontothis.

(break)

TheBoxman.Thisistherecordofaboxman.Iambeginningthisaccountinabox.Acardboard

boxthatreachesjusttomyhipswhenIputitonovermyhead.Thatistosay,atthisjuncturethebox

manisme.

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Insteadofleavingthebox,Ishallenclosetheworldwithinit.Thespacethatwassupposedtobea

roomhadchangedintoanalleyway…IfItriedtakinganotherstepfurther,whatwouldhappen?Iwas

curious.

Ofcourse,onlyoneofthethreeofusreallyexists.Theonewhoiscontinuingtowritethesenotes.

Everythingthathashappenedismerelythemonologueofthatsomeone...

(break)

TheBoxman.Sinceyouhavecometothisroomyouseammotionless.JustasIlookforsignsof

youontheothersideofthedoor,soyoutoolookforsignsofme.

The streets of this city have no names. The spaces that compose it in detail are unnamed.

Domiciliation issustainedbyonabstraction.Youmustorientyourself in itbywalking,bysight,by

habit.

Barthes.Youmustorientyourselfinitbywalking,bysight,byhabit.

Warburg.Theimagesandwordsoughttobeahelptothosewhocomeafterus.

Barthes. Here every discovery is intense and fragile; it can be repeated or recovered only by

memoryofthetraceitleftinyou.Tovisitaplaceforthefirsttimeistherebytobegintowriteit.

The Box man. If thiswas thestartingpoint,wouldwebesuccessful commencingalloveragain

fromthebeginning?

Ofcourse,itshouldbepossibletostartoveragainanynumberoftimes.

Ofcourse,itshouldbepossibletostartoveragainanynumberoftimes.

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JUNCTURE1

TRACK1-what isanart ist?

The Boxman. Awentstealthilyout intothestreetswiththeboxoverhishead.Anddidn’tcome

back.

Once a day Iwould put on the box and go out into the town.Wandering about the streets like a

transparentperson,Iwouldgoaroundcollecting.

Agassi.Asyoucansee,Iaminterestedinthequalityofaccumulation,ofrepresentingagroupof

things…Storing,categorizing,…arrangingandre-arranging...

TheBoxman.OnceadayIwouldputontheboxandgooutintothetown.Wanderingaboutthe

streetslikeatransparentperson,Iwouldgoaroundcollecting.

Iwouldgoaroundcollecting.

TheBoxman.Ifyoupaynoattentiontoaboxman,heisjustlikewindordust.

….............................................

Warburg.Beneath thedark flutterof thegriffon’swingswedream –betweengrippingandbeing

gripped–theconceptofconsciousness.

Agassi.IliketheideathatIcanamuseordisappointmyselfwithoutbeingdistractedbythedesire,

or theneed tocreate thiseternalmonster…’amasterpiece’...or toobey theautocraticneed for ‘a

statement’.

The Box man. In processing thebox themost important thing in all events is to ensure leaving

plentyofblankspaceforscribbling.

Warburg.Ihaddevelopedadownrightdisgustwithaestheticizingarthistory.

The Box man.Hespends thegreaterpartof theday just readingand listening tonews…he is

unabletoseparatehimselffromtheradioortelevision.

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Benjamin.Herewehaveamanwhosejobitistogathertheday’srefuseinthecapital.Everything

thatthebigcityhasthrownaway,everythingithaslost,everythingithasscorned,andeverythingit

hascrushedunderfoothecataloguesandcollects.

Kiesler. We must not forget that the artist-creator can never be extraterritorial. His territory will

alwaysremainhislifeexperience.Allartis,ofcourse,onlyanabstractionofwhatexists.

….............................................

Kiesler.Artistsarebornunequal.Iamlittle,fivefeetoneinchandmanyofyououttherearesix-foot

one and no technique can stretchme to six foot. A rock cannot become amountain, and a frog

cannotblowhimselfupandbecomeaswan.

Arewenoteducatingpeopletofalseambitionsinlifeandart?

Andplantinginthemtheseedsofunbearablefrustration?

Warburg. I let the signs that I receive comeout ofme, because in this epochof chaotic decline

eventheweakesthasthedutytostrengthenthewilltocosmicorder.

TheBoxman.Ifaghostissomethingthatisnotvisible,aboxmanisjusttheopposite.

The Box man.The reason theworld ignores theboxman isbecausenobodyunderstandwho’s

insidethebox.

Kiesler.Natureissorich,socompactandsocondensedthateachinnermostparticlewouldopen

anendlessworld tous ifwehadstrongenough lenses inoureyesandenoughcells inour frontal

lobestoseeandgraspit.Wedon’t-butartistspresentusthatworldoutright.

Doctor.Hepracticesacultwiththemothsandbutterfliesthatflyintohisroomatnight.Hespeaks

tothemforhours.Hecallsthemhislittlesoulanimalsandtellsthemabouthissuffering.Herecounts

theoutbreakofhisillnesstoamoth.

TheBoxman.Aboxmanlivedaharmlessexistence.

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Warburg. ThemostbeautifulbutterflyIhaveeverpinneddownsuddenlyburststhroughtheglass

anddancesmockinglyupwardsintotheblueair…NowIshouldcatchitagain,butIamnotequipped

forthiskindoflocomotion.Ortobeexact,Ishouldlikebutmyintellectualtrainingdoesnotpermitme

todoso...

TheBoxman.Aboxmanlivedaharmlessexistence.

….............................................

Agassi.Andthethinkingrelatestothispersistingcrisisaboutmyidentityasanartistasawhole,my

joyfulbutpainfuldiversityasanartist.

Ikeeptellingmyselfthatitisallaprocessoflearning.Isn’tit?

Howtomakefromallthecomponents,fragments,patches,OneThing…

Maybeinsteadofseeingmyself'officially'asoneartist,Ishoulddeclaremyselfasmanyartists,with

manynames.Whynot?

Kiesler. Mymaking several units of paintings, galaxies, separated from one another at different

intervals,isanattempttomakepaintingnotanillusionofreality,butreal.Itisanti-artandpro-life.

Agassi. Thoseideasof‘dealingwithgroupofimages’,or‘sequencewitharhythm’appealstome

verymuch.

Warburg.Idonotwantmypresentationofimagestobetakenasresultsofasupposedlysuperior

knowledgeorscience.Rather,theyarethedesperateconfessionsofsomeoneseekingredemption.

TheBoxman.SomanytimesIhavethoughthowIwouldliketostripoffmyownskinincludingthe

boxthewayonepeelsofftheskinofafig.

Agassi. You ask me what I meant by saying that “I am disturbed and on the brink of mental

disaster”?MaybeoneoftheproblemsisthatI justknowtoomuchaboutart...ForasfarbackasI

canrememberIkeptdoubtingmyself.

Thisisinnowaytosuggestthatmyfailuretogetfromthefringetothecentreisanyone'sfaultbut

myown.Thetruthis,Ineverreallyfeltconfidentaboutshowingmywork.

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The Boxman.Thereisnoneedtoclaimthatyouaretheauthorofthesenotes.Becausethere’s

absolutelynoproblemeveniftheauthorissomeoneotherthanyourself.

Agassi.Maybe, insteadofseeingmyself 'officially'asoneartist, IshoulddeclaremyselfasMany

Artists,withmanynames, I could inventartists, give themnames,biographies,myths, signatures,

etc.Whynot?

Warburg.InmyhealthytimeIneverwouldhavedaredtosaysomethingscholarlyaboutit.

The Box man. A boxmanhas experience that only a boxman can talk about, adventures that

applytohimalone,thatafakeboxmancannevertell.

Agassi.Butthisstilldoesnotreleasemefromthedeepburdenoffailure.Itdoesnothelptoknow

thatwesharethesameexperience.

….............................................

TheBoxman.WhenandhowdidIgettothispoint?

Packingoneselfupasabaggageandwalkingaboutisaninsulttotheworldandgoesbeyondjust

strangebehaviour.

Youshouldbeabletoignoremetooifyouwantto.

Howinheaven’snamehadBoxmanmethisend?

Benjamin.IknowofnoothercityexceptMoscowwherethestatewouldpayforawriter'sroom–

afterall,thehotelsarerunbytheSoviet.

Kiesler.Heso-calledartistmust learnonlyonething inorder tobecreative:not toresisthimself,

buttoresist,withoutexceptioneveryfactorthatpreventshimfrombeinghimself.

Warburg.Sometimes it looks tome as if, inmy role as psycho-historian, I tried to diagnose the

schizophreniaofwesterncivilizationfromitsimagesinanautobiographicalreflex...

TheBoxman.Ifyoupaynoattentiontoaboxman,heisjustlikewindordust.

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Kiesler.Theartistisneverofhistime.Heisalwaysagainsthistime.Ifhewouldbeonlyofhistime,

heisalreadydead.

Werunoutoftime,andtimerunsoutonus.

May everybody to his dying days learn how to enjoy art, but for heaven’s sake lets stop

manufacturingartists.

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TRACK2

Agassi.Thisworktakestheformofabox…asanarchive.

The Box man.Actuallyabox, inappearance, ispurelyandsimplya right-angledparallelepiped,

butwhenyoulookatitfromwithinit’salabyrinthofhundredinterconnectingpuzzlerings.

Agassi.HanoverMerzbau–CathedralofEroticMisery–containsallthesecontradictingelements,

whichalwaysfascinatedmeinart:collectionofready-mades,collectingtheeverydayaswellasthe

bizarre, fantastic-fetishist objects. Itwas, as awhole, like a big, exposed set-piece of its creator's

mind.

Warburg.Theuniverseperceivedintheformofahouse...

Pallasmaa.Wecandreamandsenseourbeingoutdoors,butweneedthearchitecturalgeometry

ofaroomtothinkclearly.Thegeometryofthoughtechoesthegeometryoftheroom.

Agassi.Thiscouldimplythathoweverdiverseanddifferenttheworkis,itcanhavetheunityofthe

umbrella of themuseum'smental space. As in Kurt Schwitters'Merz – Hanover Merzbau -work

could be titled under the caption “Work from theMeir AgassiMuseum” or any other permutation.

Fromnowoneverythingwouldhappeninsidetheboundariesofthismuseumandeverythingwould

beapiece,aproductofit.

Pallasmaa. The window has lost its significance as a mediator between two worlds, between

enclosedandopen,interiorityandexteriority,privateandpublic,shadowandlight.Thewindowhas

turnedintoamereabsenceofthewall.

Kiesler.Itwouldbebetter,morehonest,ifweclosedthemuseumsandeventuallygavealltheart

backtowhereitcamefrom.

Wecoulddisperse theworks tocommunitybuildingsandhomes– largepaintings to largehomes,

smallerpaintingstosmallerhouses.Andtheyshouldalsobebroughttothehomesofthepoor.

Weoutsiderscouldthengoandvisitthepaintingsandsculpturesofthememorablepastandofour

timeinprivatehomes,gardens,courtyards,rooftopsandbasements.

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We shall have tea with those who cherish them, talk about them, enjoy them, linger in the past,

speakaboutthefutureandperhapsenjoythepresent.

TheBoxman.Whenonecannotavoidbeingseenitiscommonsensetodemandcompensation.

Anybodywouldratherlookthanbelookedat.

Warburg.Themorewesee,themorewemustbeabletoaddbythinking.Themoreweaddthere

tothinking,somuchthemorewecanbelieveourselvestosee.

Pallasmaa. Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this

mediationtakeplacethroughthesenses.

Kiesler.Howthingsholdtogetherisquitemiraculous.It'stoostrangeforushumanstounderstand

thewaymoleculesclick,cellsdividewithoutlosingholdofeachother.

Webuildbymakingjointsafterjoints.Nailsforwood.Boltsforiron.Weldingforsteel.Friendshiphas

invisibletiesasstrongasiron.Theyshakehandswitheachotherwithouttouching.

Paalasmaa. We are rooted in the continuity of time; in the man-made world it is the task of

architecturetofacilitatethisexperience.

Kiesler.Thebindingforcebetweenartandlifeisthecohesivestrengthofthepersonality.Thisforce

isinexplicable.Itmustbelivedtobeunderstood.

Pallasmaa. Architecture is understoodandappreciated through its echoasmuchas through its

visualshape.

TheBoxman.Ihearthattheboxisindeedadangeroussourceofblue.

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EndlessInstallation:AGhostStoryForAdultsPublicSpaceWithARoofMarch21–April262009,SMARTProjectSpace,AmsterdamTheScriptComposedbyMajaNovakwiththequotesfromAbe,Kobo:TheBoxMan;Agassi,Meir:TheMeirAgassiMuseum;Barthes,Roland:ImageMusicText;Barthes,Roland:EmpireoftheSigns;Benjamin,Walter:LettersfromtheWalterBenjamin’sArchive;Gombrich,Ernst:IntellectualBiography;Kiesler,Frederick:SelectedWritings;Kiesler,Frederick:InsidetheEndlessHouse;Kiesler,Frederick:EndlessSpace;Michaud,Philippe-Alain:AbyWarburgandtheImageinMotion;Pallasmaa,Juhani:TheEyesoftheSkin;Pirandello,Luigi:SixCharactersinSearchofanAuthorTheCastTheBoxman:SanderBlom;TheFather:VesnaMadzoski;TheManager:AdiHollander;RolandBarthes:HenryVega;AbyWarburg:ZhanaIvanova;MeirAgassi:SamuelVriezen;WalterBenjamin:HenryVega;FrederickKiesler:AyaletHarpazDoctor:HenryVega;JuhaniPallasmaa:HenryVegaRecordedat:STEIM,AmsterdamSMARTProjectSpaceisgenerouslysupportedby:MondriaanFoundation;GemeenteAmsterdam;BureauBroedplaatsen;StichtingDOEN;TheNetherlandsFilmFund;PrinsBernhardCultuurfonds;VSBfonds.Theexhibition‘EndlessInstallation:AGhostStoryforAdults’isfurthersupportedby:AmsterdamFundfortheArts;TheNetherlandsFoundationforVisualArts,DesignandArchitecture;GoetheInstitute;EmbassyofIsrael;DeAppelArtsCenter;Pregis;RedA.i.R;JanvanEyckAcademie;STEIM;AustrianFrederickandLillianKieslerPrivateFoundation;TheMuseumofArtEinHarod;IsstaDirect;Argos,Brussels.

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Photocredits:

p.11TheBoxMan,KoboAbep.12Artist’sbook,MeirAgassiFromthecollectionoftheWarburgInstitute,Londonp.13Artist’sbook,MeirAgassiSketchfortheArtoftheCentury,FrederickKieslerp.14TheIncredulityofSaintThomas,Caravaggio,1602p.15SketchfortheArtoftheCentury,FrederickKieslerTheTriangle,WalterBenjaminp.16Correalism,FrederickKieslerp.17Correspondence:MoKremer,DavidStrauss,SusanLipski,MeirAgassiMuseumCorrespondence:MoKremer,DavidStrauss,SusanLipski,MeirAgassiMuseump.18AbyWarburgandImageinMotion,Phillippe-AlainMichaudp.19MnemosyneAtlas,PanelC,AbyWarburgp.20TheMuseumMap,MeirAgassip.21Cities,Atlas,GerhardRichterSketchforCalledesuperstition,FrederickKieslerp.22TheMemoryTheatrebyGulioCamillo,TheArtofMemory,F.A.YatesFromthecollectionoftheWarburgInstitute,Londonp.23Correalism,FrederickKieslerBunrakupuppetdollandhowthreepuppeteersattendasingledoll,TheSocietyforInternationalCulturalRelations,Tokyo,1935p.24Passage,SaburoMurakami,MovingImage,Phillippe-AlainMichaudVision,F.Kieslerp.25Studiesfromaminiaturemultiples,SouvenirsfromMeirAgassiMuseumCorrespondence:MoKremer,DavidStrauss,SusanLipski,MeirAgassiMuseump.26Homelessinthecity,JapanQuote,Lyla,M.AgassiThecaseoftheLostLifeandWorkofMoKremer(1920–1993),MeirAgassiMuseump.27Self-portrait,MeirAgassiAbyWarburgandaHopiIndian,WarburgInstitute,London

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p.28TheBoxMan,KoboAbep.29FrederickKiesler,AustrianFrederickandLillianKieslerPrivateFoundationp.30Vertigo(1958),AlfredHitchcockAnatomicalTheatre,WarburgInstitute,Londonp.3113.Forests,MagicArchitecture,FrederickKieslerTheTrial(1962),OrsonWellesp.32EmpireofSigns,RolandBarthesHomeTheatrebackstage,TheNetherlandsTheatreInstitutep.33Gestures,Imageconstellation,WarburgInstitute,Londonp.34Merzbau:TheCathedralofEroticMisery,KurtSchwittersp.35Perception,FrederickKieslerp.36HerbertBayer,TheLonelyMetropolitan