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41
SCIENTIFIC VOYAGE WITH VARIOUS EVENTS AND INSTALLATIONS
TELEMATIC
RITUALS FOR WHITE NIGHTS
ARCTIC
CIRCLE, FORMER U.S.S.R.
4 – 26 AUGUST 1989
The
premise of this phony scientific voyage that takes the artist
from Moscow to Leningrad and on to the polar north aboard
an icebreaker is the confirmation of the artist’s hypothesis
that the Arctic Circle is in fact a square meter (see no 22
and 24). During the course of his journey, the artist will
make various measurements and send dispatches to Soviet Academy
of Sciences and to other scientific and cultural institutions
on five continents. At the last minute, an inexplicable equipment
failure will prevent him from collecting data offering “conclusive”
proof of his hypothesis, thus leaving the question in suspense.
As a consolation, the artist will sail down Severnaïa
Dvina River to a monastery in Elikii Ouistiouk, where he will
he transform himself from scientist into shaman and celebrate
a ritual fusing time and space on the last “white night”
of the season.
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