In 1982 I was living in a one room garret, and one day it dawned on me that each of the four walls had an appliance associated with it, in a sort of North, South, East, West - Stonehenge circle kind of arrangement. I had a Polaroid camera, and shot a 360 degree panorama of the interior. I then ended up hanging the photos, in an eye level circle, on gauze strips from the gallery ceiling. I also created four wall tableaux, each in sightline with its corresponding photograph. Finally, I added two light fixtures, and a burbling pump (located inside the larger tube) as my kitchen sink. These items were in sightline with their photo counterparts as well. In the center of the gallery was a backlit videotaped image of myself, with a flashlight drawing light across my face, while I recited the following lines:
Practical Mysticism for the Home Use
"What happens when you are on the perimeter? What happens past the outer edge?”
“Here sociopolitical conventions fall away, for there are no prescribed sets of behavior.
How can one live with no given rules? To be creative must be to be an Anarchist.
Here all economic models fail, for there is virtually no compensation in such endeavors.
How can one work with no given currency? To be creative must be to be Possessed.
Here the fields of Art, Science, Philosophy, Literature, etc., are in a constant state of flux.
How can one reason with no given dogma? To be creative must be to be an Idiot Savant.”
“What happens when you are on the perimeter? What happens past the outer edge?”
“Here the road is completely uncharted, for there are no maps for this kind of movement.
How can one travel with no given compass? To be creative must be to be a Clairvoyant.
Here the artist finds himself on the vanguard, as his studio sits at the edge of the unknown.
How can one see with no given landscape? To be creative must be to be a Madman.
Here the creative terrain is famously rife with stories of toil, insomnia, doubt, and rejection.
How can one pass through these four walls? To be creative must be to be Voodoo itself!"