“What does it mean, to live in a room? Is to live in a place take possession of it? What does taking possession of a place mean? As from when does somewhere become somewhere become truely yours?”
(Georges Perec, Species of Spaces, p. 24)
I’m writing this from my bed. I call it my bed already, although this is only my second night here. The bed matches the room. It is old and very comfortable and covered by a beautiful quilt. There are four pillows and I’ve got a nice overview since the legs are extra long. Actually the bed is closer to the ceiling than the windows are which is somewhat strange. When I’m in the bed I can see the river.
“We generally utilize the page in the larger of its two dimensions. The same goes for the bed. The bed (or if you prefer, the page) is a rectangular space, longer than it is wide, in which, or on which, we normally lie longways ..... The bed is thus the individual space par excellence, the elementary space of the body (the bed-monad), the one which even the man completely crippled by debt has the right to keep: the bailifs don’t have the power to seize your bed.”
(George Perec, Species of Spaces, p. 16)
We made a tour through the Castletown House today. The rooms are amazing. One of them is called the State Bedroom. There is an enormous yellow bed in it. William Connolly, the son of an innkeeper who became the wealthiest, most powerful politician in Ireland and the man who had the Castletown House build, used to sleep there. Or maybe he didn’t. He was receiving guests there in the morning while sitting up in bed and being dressed. Like they did in the French court at Versailles.
Imagine that. Waking up and facing a group of visitors watching you being dressed. Imagine being dressed. Imagine being in a big yellow bed being dressed while being asked peculiar questions. I can’t imagine what they would ask. Or how answering questions while being in bed can impress people. Not even when it is an enormous yellow bed.
Maybe my dreams will make up for my lack of imagination. Let’s see where my bed takes me tonight.
Space Programme 2011
February 3d 2011. It was the middle of the night when I received the message. I was invited onto the SPACE Programme 2011. While jumping a hole in the air I wondered where I'd left my space suit.
The Space Programme offers artists of all disciplines an opportunity to collaborate, experiment and innovate in an inspiring environment. The project takes place over a two-week period at Castletown House Co. Kildare, it is an open ended process hosted by The Performance Corporation. The programme facilitates artists from diverse backgrounds to collaborate and explore their artistic process while removing the pressure to come up with an end product.
This weblog gives an insight in my thoughts and working process during the Space Programme and tells about some projects that came out of this wonderful opportunity.
The Space Programme offers artists of all disciplines an opportunity to collaborate, experiment and innovate in an inspiring environment. The project takes place over a two-week period at Castletown House Co. Kildare, it is an open ended process hosted by The Performance Corporation. The programme facilitates artists from diverse backgrounds to collaborate and explore their artistic process while removing the pressure to come up with an end product.
This weblog gives an insight in my thoughts and working process during the Space Programme and tells about some projects that came out of this wonderful opportunity.