project 22/

IN ADDITION TO EVERYTHING REAL

V. Stolnikov, Construction-Engineer, Bolshie Stolby

There occurs such mental states - and for some people they occur fairly often - when despair and agitation are provoked not by individual unfortunate events, people, personal affairs and results, but everything taken together, so to speak, all of life as a whole. Then, in that situation, one especially wants to chase away that very same importunate reality engulfing you on all sides, consisting of thousands of trifles continually in your sight, penetrating your consciousness and brain.

The project proposes such an inexpensive mechanism in a para- doxical way it also consists of "objects," but the entire matter rests in their special arrangement in relation to one another.

Thirteen white placards with texts are put together in such a way that your eye cannot pause or any one of them, but rather pene- trates sort of into the empty space beyond them.

This project was well known and studied in ancient times in the East, where it got the name "Mandala," and served as a special concentration of attention as well as for goals described above.

Our project proposes the arrangement of such a visually slightly altered "Mandala" amidst other objects on the wall of the house so that if necessary the eye could easily find it there. (Of course, the texts on the placards are also of no small signifi- cance.)

The placards should be hung on the wall in precisely this com- position, not changing it.

IN ADDITION TO EVERYTHING REAL

1. Make placard-tablets out of gypsum (mold it) with rounded edges on one side (leave the other side flat). The placards are of two sizes: make 7 of them 9.5 x 7 cm and make 6 of them 8 x 6 cm.

2. Write a text in the middle of each side with rounded edges.

Write the text with fine nails (when the plaster has dried) so that it is barely visible, On the large tablets (9.5 x 7 cm); 1. "The weather last night was really nice."

2. "Only when I concentrate more when I am looking at some- thing ..."

3. "Suddenly I remembered two haystacks which I saw in a meadow when I was 12 years old."

4. "In the evening, when it is getting dark and the tops of the trees can't be seen at all ..."

5. "I am going down to the water and rocks, falling, run in front of me ...''

6. "There is a table on the terrace, all gray and scratched from the autumn rains and winter winds ..."

7. "A bird, small and gray, landed on the branch in front of the window and is looking at me . " On the small tablets (8 x 6 cm): 1. "He says that he missed the train, maybe that really is what happened."

2. "Let's go for water. While we were bringing it from the well, it all ran out, the bucket is full of holes."

3, "I almost never look at my watch, for some reason, I always guess the time."

4. "For some reason there are fewer sounds in the winter than in the summer."

5. "It never pays to hurry. I only now understand why."

6. "I often look at the shore on the other side. I have gotten so used to it."