Buktapaktop archival presentation, including Berlin sojourn.
Though the presentation on the 3rd of June 2017 at Buktapaktop as part of the ISELP (Institut Supérieur pour l’étude du Langage Plastique*) series of presentations ‘Sync!’ was meant as a general overview, a large part of the presentation concerned the Berlin excursion and used as a moment to gather and consolidate material for future use... specifically an (online publication). So, while not being quite the promised report-exhibition, it fulfilled much of the same function... here some comments by way of report.
(* no, not the International Society of Equine Motor Pathology)
Organization was a bit haphazard and little time for a full blown collection of material, as said, various aspects of the Buktapaktop were illustrated, and even the title was construed by the Iselp itself; “Tkatbuktatkpakpot” adding somewhat to the confusion... but it went well and rather than presenting material at the ISELP itself, proposed a walk to Buktapaktop with slight & hardly noticeable interventions along the way.
In the space itself we had a number of videos running: aside from the very first prototype excusion (a-poria, even before Buktapaktop found it’s name) we had images from the PAE banquet in Rotterdam and then Berlin A: Grüntaler 9 and our presentations there (though for some reason I can’t seem to find the video fragments of later in the evening, which is a pity, even if the takes are dark and chaotic)... then there was the streetwalking performance Berlin B: Julien Celdran and Lise Duclaux, beginning at the Volkstheater Rosa Luxembugplatz and meandring through the city, collecting trash with sticky ‘handshoes’ (Julien) as well as planting calendula (pot marigold, Lise) wherever possible – part of the trajectory by subway since otherwise too late for Berlin C: GlogauAir, where we arranged the offerings around a Kaffeetisch...
(original flipchart-sheet used as projection screen this time round)
In addition to this I received a close-up version of Laird/Gosselé’s conference piece “does the boulette have a soul”, which played on a laptop (no time to re-format) ... also received this very nice picture of Vivaine Klagsbrun and Carina Gosselé posing in creations by Daniel Von Weinberger, which I had not yet seen... (too late to arrange the presentation of the clothes themselves...)
Further video and picture series alternated between monitors, screens and projection, including the ‘Salon Rouge’ (making of) Ping-Pong video and various photographic series including by Patrick Morarescu and Carina Gosselé... and own (documentary) production...
(Obst hopscotch trap in tunnel under Avenue Louise photo L Duclaux)
Small interventions along the way by LL and H. Obst, Lise Duclaux did a version of here presentation at Berlin by way of welcome in the yard at Buktapaktop... further there were a series of ‘divinations by Julien Celdran, using a self developed system of spinning tops and dice, consulting various books such as I-ching as well as Gombrich’s hi/story of art... among the questions considered was “does the boulette have a soul”)
The presentation was arranges around a central table, ‘Buktable’ the proven formula used in Berlin and elsewhere, and of course part of the offering was the preparation of food to be shared – with Bernard Mulliez taking charge of the paella as well as music... helped obviously by the bukta crew... LL declaimed poetic descriptions of the scene while it developed… clad in a specifically designed LL coat, this time representing pages/leaves, while the LL version ‘tabledress’ used in Berlin was spread on the table - the discourse was ‘comment expliquer un Oeufre d’art…’ with interventions by the public…
Furthermore Dialogist-Kantor re-enacted (or reinveted, using Kaprow’s term) the classic “Mano a mano (from 1994 but not often seen) this time a version in pap-maché ceramic… and the Poor Homme / Poor Dame hats (also not seen in quite a while)
By way of objects & documentation one large vitrine was reserved for the Berlin project:
Sporting fragments of plaster & paint off the wall at Grüntaler 9 removed during the tape-performance by Heinrich Obst... as part of the ongoing modification of Grüntaler’s wall – just recently undergoing major modifications (see the G9 site) so that theses small framents are but a wee souvenir...
Pieces of charcoal (Eierbriketten) left behind (by former activity) on the window sill of Grüntaler 9 and used in the delineation performance, crossing the street (H.Obst)
Julien Celdran’s wig, trash-collection walk between the two spaces in which Buktapaktop presented it’s work – trajectory began at Rosa Luxemburg Platz... partially done on the subway...
Entangled within: a vegetarian ‘Boulette’, in fact a falafelball made by the Bukta-kitchen team for the occasion, and imbued with occult powers by Michael Laird during the presentation by Gosselé/Laird at GlogauAir...
The golden insulation sheet (at window, entranceway) also used during this performance
-surrounded by hair, long golden, as part of the illustrative proces concerning the Freudian idea of "mannequin / mannequin" and projected onto the boulette - (see video)
Portrait piece bagged by Carina Gosselé as part of her offering at both venues, signed, numbered edition.
Wok Show Dumpling Gallery notebook, from the Chinese restaurant on Greifenhagenerstrasse where we had our theme-related dumpling meal in the evening...
Trash gathered by Julien Celdran along the trajectory between the two art-spaces, stuck to tape-wound hands along the way... sometimes bits falling off, others stayed the course...
(see video)
Issue of “Emergency Index #5 ” (N.Y. 2016, works from 2015) in which the ‘Salon Rouge’ presentation at Buktapaktop is mentioned... Upcoming issue (#6, 2017) promises to feature the Berlin excursion of Buktapaktop & friends)
Article in ‘Rear View Review’ about the prototype-manifestation of ‘Aporia’, precursor to the Buktapaktop project... (meeting april 2011 to discuss Finland trip)
Lise Seeds, as distributed to the public...
other presentations
Fragments of dark blue suit (presented on a low Japanese style banquet table) cut up by visitor-participants to the ‘Kaffeeklatch’ at GlogauAir, slightly stolen from Ono’s cutting piece, with a slight twist... (Obst)
Painting (de-) constructed by Viviane Klagsbrun, Irene Pascual and the then unborn Eloi... (see video for details)
Cut-up painting, here behind Dialogist-Kantor getting ready…
Later after the paella series, a simultaneous (re-) reading (herlesung) of the newspapers that had been de-crumpled for the occasion, interesting version of french speakers doing their best to emulate german accents…
Lise Duclaux and Guy Cardoso rendered hommage to Julien Celdran’s trashworks with a specially composed song, duo a-capella/percussion…
after which one of our founders, Bendy Glu, not often seen because living somewhere off the beaten track in the Pyrenees, gave us a special rendition of ‘Françoise’ (buxom replacement of La Madelon as far as I could make out)
more soon…
