79.  LIKHOBORKA

The audience was brought to river Likhoborka on the location where it flows into the territory of Central Botanical garden.

When all the invited persons took their observatory positions, a purple parcel containing switched-on tape recoder (its soundtrack consisted of this action’s descriprion) began to descend from the bridge of Moscow circular railway road on two ropes held by the action’s two organizers.

The recording was done in such a way that the sounding of the recorded text began in approximately 10 minutes after the parcel’s hanging immovably some 30-40 centimeters above the water surface.

Then, approximately at this point of the text, the parcel was submerged in water (in order to prevent the tape recorder from soaking it had been thoroughly wrapped in cellophane prior to the action).

The period of the parcel’s staying underwater was determined by the record’s timing, beginning with words “The period of the parcel’s staying underwater… “ and ending with words “…Then the recorder was drawn out of the water”.

After drawing the recorder out of the water, two action’s organizers lifted the parcel onto the bridge using the same ropes, turned off the recorder and went down to the audience.

 

24th September, 1996.

Moscow, Central botanical garden

[Collective actions]

 

Note. The following text was sounding from the tape recorder during the action as represented hereby. However, some details did not coincide with this text. The sound of someone reading text became audible approximately four minutes into the performance (not after 10 minutes).  This happened immediately after a package had been suspended 5m above a river.  It was left to hang motionlessly.  The package consisted of a tape recorder which was covered (but not in cellophane) and suspended so that it did not touch the water.  S Romashko and A Monastyrsky lowered the tape recorder downwards from a bridge.  Neither of these retrieved the package, instead it was hauled upwards by N Paitkov who used a fine fishing line to pull it back in.  Panitkov then cut the ropes freeing the tape recorder from its binding.  Finally the viewers were given a document (factography) which consisted of small pieces of wood wrapped in the same fabric as the tape recorder.  This bore an inscription indicating the date of the performance (the 24th even though the performance had taken place on the 25th).  The viewers observed the performance from a large tube shaped tunnel which connected the two banks of the river (immediately in front of a railway bridge). 

 

Moscow, Central botanical garden

25 th September, 1996

A. Monastyrski, S. Romashko, N. Panitkov, E. Elagina, I. Makarevich, M. Miturich,

N. Alekseev.