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50.Biennale
Venezia |
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BREAD AND CIRCUSES? Pole-sitting takes its inspiration from practices originating in biblical, classical and medieval times. The CHURCH of FEAR pays homage to these models by providing pole-sitting with a solid base in modernity. Following the example of the stylites, 7 unemployed, homeless and nondenominational persons of various nationalities and religious backgrounds will leave their detrimental communities for a period of 7 days. Their mission is not to escape from themselves, not to wander restlessly in their own chaos, but to stay virtuously in a chosen place: a six-foot pole in a selected square at the heart of the world. Every site and seat has been chosen with great care. It will be converted into a day shelter, a sanctuary, a confessional, a marketplace for the unemployed - the only market that has any chance of growth. These are the places where the pillar saints of modernity will take their high seats. They will live in voluntary asceticism in order to manifest their heteronomous abstinence - and finally to dismantle it without a sound and in all modesty. Who can sit
the longest on their pole? PEACE UNTO WAR and LOVE UNTO HATE! Seven Pole-Sitters shall enter into competition, not with each other, but with the administrators of their fears and anxieties. These they shall exhibit without compromise or mercy. The competition shall last a total of seven days at 24 hours per day. The winner shall be the competitor who can last for the longest period of time on his or her pole while revealing pain, fear, hate and the will to terror. The Pole-Sitters shall be under surveillance. The Pole-Sitters shall perform all their activities (sleeping, eating, reading, speaking) on their pole, 24 hours a day, around the clock. They may leave their pole for 15 minutes every three hours in order to rest, exercise and answer the call of nature. A Pole-Sitter will disqualified if he or she either fails to keep him or herself on the pole or leaves his or her pole for more than 15 minutes. Pole-Sitters who have been disqualified shall be sent home immediately. The Pole-Sitters ensure prior to the competition that they are in full possession of their physical strength. They undertake not to take any kind of performance-enhancing drug for the duration of the competition. Violations will be penalised by immediate exclusion from the competition. Should none of the Pole-Sitters remain until the end of the competition, the winner shall be the competitor who has remained on his or her pole for the longest period of time. Visitors and passers-by may also sit on a pole. This will increase the time accrued of the Pole-Sitter concerned. No more than three persons (Pole-Sitter + 2 co-sitters) may sit on a single pole at any one time. For every half hour that a co-sitter sits on a pole, the total time accrued of the Pole-Sitter concerned will be increased by 30 seconds in addition to his or her own time of sitting. A Pole-Sitter may thus win up to 24 additional minutes per co-sitter, making a total of 48 minutes per day (24 minutes x 2 co-sitters) that the total time accrued may be increased. Under the motto WIN WITH YOUR LOSERS, spectators and passers-by may, by purchasing holy pictures on site or via the Internet from Father Angello, bet cash on the Pole-Sitters. Who will remain the longest on his or her pole? Who confronts his or her fear with the most death-defying attitude? Holy pictures are sold on site at € 5.00; the minimum bet on the Internet is € 500.00. Thus everybody may be in a position to profit from people degraded to a profitless position. You can support »your« pillar saint not only by motivating him or her mentally, but also by briefly co-sitting with him or her. International comparison will thus determine the congregation showing the most solidarity as well as the most resilient »Pillar Saint of the CHURCH of FEAR«. In accordance with the Statutes of Fear, every Pole-Sitter who has lasted 24 hours will be elevated from the first to the second CoF caste, to the position of »Saint of Fear«. The Saint, who will be answerable only to him or herself, will be in full command of »Sleepers of Fear« and »Martyrs«. Who believes
in Him or Herself and Who believes in Who? CHURCH of FEAR: FEAR IS THE ANSWER! |
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