98. “14 : 07 - 15 : 13” (39-52) (Action with Clocks)

In a forest, in a small glade, (at the site where the “Library” action was made), a round watch (D-25 cm) was attached above the snow. Viewers and organizers tied an end of white rope, (coiled on a bobbin and about 1 km length), to the watch, then turned on a tape-recording (the tape recorder was in a back pack carried by S.Romashko) and started moving through the forest. Whilst moving they uncoiled the rope and attached it to every few trees in order to keep it taut.

The tape-recording consisted of chronologically taped articles by north-pole researchers: E.T.Krenkel “Radio station UPOL” and Y.K.Fedorov “Astronomical definitions” (from the book “Works by drifting station ‘North Pole’”, publ. Glavsevmorput, 1940). At the end of the tape-recording was a fragment of M.Heidegger’s article “Time and Entity”. After they had walked 400 metres through the forest, the group stopped. The organizers used the same rope to attach the working tape recorder between the trees at a height of 150 cm. The tape recorder was put in a white fur case.

After that A.Monastyrski bound black thread to the tape recorder’s case and started moving through the forest reeling out the thread and coiling it around tree trunks. He moved toward the vista, located approximately 200 metres away from viewers. Between two trees, on the same thread, A.M and M.K. hung up a small framed portrait of Heidegger (6.5x9 cm). On the reverse of the portrait with black marker was written: “39-52”. (“39” – according to the “CA list of places” this is the number of the place of the “Library” performance, the same place at which the watches are now attached; “52” – is the anticipated final location of this action).

Then A.M. and M.K. joined the viewers and they continued moving through the forest continuing to reel out the rope. They left the tape recorder playing the recording of Krenkels’ text, this was now out of the group’s audibility. The group emerged on the edge of nearby field (located south-east from Kievogorskoe field; the whole route was about 1 km). Here the organizers, using the same rope, hung up the second watch (D-42cm), tilting it towards the field, and attaching it much higher than the first one. Organizers reeled about 100 m more of rope (attached to watch) and handed each of the viewers a document – this consisted of 2 laminated photos from the book, “27 months on a drifting ship’’ by George Sedov publ. Glavmorsevput, 1940. They used lengths of rope to tie up these two pictures of polar experiences.

After the document had been distributed, the second part of the title of the performance was made - the second watch showed “15 (hours) 13 (minutes)” (the first part of the title – “14 (hours) 07 (minutes)” – was defined by the time on the first watch at the moment when the tape-recording was turned on and movement through the forest with the rope began).

After the performance was finished, viewers stopped near the Heidegger portrait and the group photoportrait was done. The tape-recording with Heidegger’s text was not audible for viewers, as they were too far from the tape-recorder.

All the objects were left at the scene.

 

Moscow region, north from Lobnya

19 April 2003

A.Monastyrski, N.Panitkov, E.Elagina, S.Romashko, I.Macarevich, S.Haensgen, M.K., D.Novgorodova