I'm not really one for Banksy-like covert art
terrorism practices, but one summer I decided to collaborate with
an artist whom for reasons of security, wishes to remain unnamed (I
am not making this up, I promise).
At that time, I was housebound due to illness, so I found in said
artist (let's call him Phil) someone willing to be my energy out on
location. It would be a real project, with a real sculpture in a
place difficult to get to, a kind of romantic gesture for future
random visitors to muse "I wonder what the hell that was about?" -
and I wanted it to be useful. I was sick of waiting for projects to
be funded, the red tape, the competition - all nullifying my
creativity. So I'd pay for this bugger myself. I've fond memories
of this project even though I never actually touched or saw the art
I "made" outside of my computer screen.
I designed a project and Phil executed it. I wanted to make
something lasting, official looking and to be a goodwill gesture.
So as I was at the time being seduced by Buddhism and the world of
mantras. I wanted some of the benefits I was feeling from using
these phrases to affect others. I emailled Phil. Here is the actual
transcript. I kept it! It says:
July 15 2001, 9:11pm: Dear Phil,
...I thought I could design a mantra sheet, like we discussed
only in stainless steel, and you can get it cut in Glasgow and then
under nightfall, illegally cement it to (X) island (removed for
security reasons), take photgraphs of it, and I can then report
back to the virtual viewers, the exhaustives, with a report of what
you have done. It will be a mantra, a repeated text, cut in Times
New Roman 36 with the line: "If I don't wind down on a night, I
will continue to be ill" repeated an auspicious amount of
repetitions - can we say 27? Below is a the only close up of
what was quickly put together in a 24hour period from request to it
being mounted. Here's Phil's reply (below pic).
July 16th 2001, 11.14am : Dear Chris,
Ha ha ha ha ha! I love it. If I do get caught, I'm bringing you
down with me. Island (X) is a difficult island to get to without a
boat and it's too small for tourists on Loch ******, so it's
perfect. And I'll do it tonight. I've got to go into Glasgow anyway
so I'll get it cut. It'll only be about £10 to cut it as I can
operate the lathe myself, otherwise it would be £211 and I know you
are skint.
He sent another email the same day:
July 16th 2001, 3.01pm : Dear Chris,
It's finished. I'll send pics tonight after I do it. I want to
do it before it gets too dark as it looks choppy out there tonight.
There was a problem in that the aluminium was too short for the 36
point text and rather than make the text smaller, I've only fitted
20 mantras on the sheet - is that OK? it won't anger some Buddhist
deity or anything will it? Some of those Tibetan fellas look scary!
Let me know asap if it's a problem.
It wasn't a problem. We did it. It survived five years until
someone mysteriously removed it. I'm going to do it again.
