Groups Of Interest » Are We Cool Yet? Hub » Project Proposal 2024-003: "Oedipus Worldwide or 'GAIAFUCK'"
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Year Created: 2022
Project Proposal 2024-003
Name: Aleiya Persen
Title: Oedipus Worldwide or "GAIAFUCK"
Requisition:
- One Vikos Gorge, Greece (to be used without permission)
- At least one aleakinesis practitioner (already in my possession)
- One set of equipment and shooting crew to relay footage from a remote location
- One obelisk more than 120 meters high, aesthetically modeled after ancient monuments1
- Two portable portal generators manufactured by the defunct Prometheus Labs, Inc (already in my possession, but in need of repair)
Abstract: "GAIAFUCK" is a live installation artwork that will be performed at any point in the Vikos Gorge. Viewers may watch the live video feed on large monitors at the venue or, if they wish, take special on-site seats on either side of the gorge. Since the venue for the 2024 AWCY Universal Exhibition is unfortunately quite far from the Vikos Gorge, many will probably choose the former option.
In advance, I will place a custom-made obelisk towering over the venue's outdoor exhibition space. Since the height of a typical obelisk is around 30 meters, its extraordinary size, which is more than 120 meters, will naturally inspire awe of the ancient deities in the audience. The obelisk is displayed without any explanation of its purpose until a specified time, and placards with phrases such as "Sacred and Must Not Be Fouled" are displayed around it in highly visible positions.
Eventually, when the time comes, one member from the audience will approach the obelisk. This spectator must be a randomly selected individual, not a pre-arranged actor. Under the aleakinetic influence, the spectator will happen to notice the obelisk; as they approach to see the exquisite Egyptian patterns engraved on its surface, they will accidentally trip over a small stone on the ground and inadvertently put their hand on the obelisk to prop up their staggering body.
As a result, the ropes supporting the obelisk will unfortunately come undone and the massive column will begin to topple over, as if to destroy the venue. While the clueless audience will be in a panic, a portal will luckily be pre-deployed at the point where the obelisk will fall, instantly transferring it into the Vikos Gorge. The obelisk will then fall into the gorge with its tip pointing downward, plunging to the bottom with a deafening crash and a cloud of dust. This magnificent sight will be broadcast on large monitors, and the audience who chooses to attend on-site will be able to experience the spectacle up close with the wind on their skin.
I, the artist, will enthusiastically praise the spectator, who is turning pallid from having knocked down the obelisk, as a "godslayer"; then, after setting up a permanent portal leading directly from the Exhibition to the Vikos Gorge, I will conclude the performance by repositioning the remaining "Sacred and Must Not Be Fouled" sign at the venue, stabbing it upside down in its original position.
The upside-down obelisk will remain on display as an installation work, and the audience will be free to touch and photograph it. Those who wish to take home souvenirs will be provided with a hammer and allowed to smash the obelisk.
Intent: My intention behind this project is quite simple and can be summed up in the following sentence.
"Gods, Go Fuck Yourselves."
Of course, there is a reason for this hostility. Some time ago, my patron was a corporation. A cult that worshipped Nurtia, the Etruscan goddess of fate and chance, or some such deity; masquerading as an ordinary investment trust company, their advantage was that behind the scenes they were profiting enormously from the oracle of fortune through Nurtia's authority. I had benefited from this to no small extent, in the form of tax-saving sponsorship of cultural activities.
The company no longer exists. One day, a pair of buffoons from somewhere called Trismegistus Translation & Transportation, claiming to be Thoth from Egyptian mythology and Hermēs from Greek one, came in and gave a speech in the conference room.
They explained how underutilized the power of Nurtia is in the company, and how many believers she could gain in the future if she used her power according to the scheme they presented, and so on. By the time the presenter finally closed his beak, Nurtia had readily abandoned her old family of devotees. Having lost the secret of good fortune, the company quickly went out of business and collapsed, and I also lost my most generous patron.
This incident drove me half mad, and I stood up in fury to take revenge. That being said, I have no interest in converting the entire Parthenon into dynamite and setting it on fire, or modifying the Sphinx to emit bright red laser beams from its eyes, in order to declare "This is my vengeance! Heh heh heh" kind of statement. I urgently changed my work schedule and devised this new project for the Exhibition. The main theme is provocation and blasphemy against the gods.
In this artwork, gods are really puny beings. The only things that make them look divine are ridiculously large shrines and superstitious myths that are no better than signboards. The whole sequence of the performance is a provocative expression of the arrogance of man's ability to overthrow gods with a single hand, simply by arranging opportunities to do so.
Then there is the blasphemy. Of course it should be accomplished with the courtesy appropriate to the myth. To borrow is the most unholy and sinful act in the legend of Oedipus; killing one's own father and defiling one's own mother.
One theory suggests that the obelisk is a phallic representation of Osiris, the god of the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. According to the myth, Osiris was revived from his death by his wife Isis, but when his body was cut into pieces and scattered in the river, his manhood was swallowed by a fish, which allegedly resulted in him being unable to remain in this realm and becoming a god of the netherworld.
The Vikos Gorge is known as the deepest gorge relative to its width. Gaia, the primordial goddess of Greek mythology, is a symbol of the Earth itself; the gorge, a huge rift in the Earth, could be regarded as an opening in Gaia's body, a hidden slit.
The most important part of this performance is the finale, when the obelisk, overthrown from its base, is plunged into the Vikos Gorge.
Therefore, in this performance, I fuck the Mother Nature.
To: Aleiya Persen
From: The Curator
Subject: Oedipus Worldwide or blah blah blah
Date: 2024/08/13
Hey Persen!
I'm not the Critic, I don't dictate what your work should be like. With that in mind, I can frankly say that when I viewed your project, my impression was that it was silly. It is my policy to accept any artwork for the Exhibition as long as it pleases the audience, but in this particular case, I was worried about both the audience's reaction and your sanity.
However, it seems that my concerns were unfounded, at least with regard to the former. I guess you didn't expect it to end up like that originally, but… you know what, it turned out pretty spectacular!
I know you can't be satisfied with the result, so I look forward to the next "God-Fuck" project. Not sure if you are reading this email, but I would love to support your endeavor.
Just make sure you clean this mess up yourself, though.
Trip Through the BackDoor
Step On Through
| BACKDOOR SOHO | MONDAY, AUGUST 12TH, 2024 | 5¢ - NO REFUNDS |
UIU EXTRADITE ANARTIST TO GREECE?
By Yehudi Jung
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Unusual Incidents Unit (FBI UIU) announced today the arrest of anartist Aleiya Persen as a perpetrator of art terrorism. Greek police authorities have requested Persen's extradition under the International Paranormal Criminal Police Organization (also known as PANGEA Network).
On the forenoon of 2024/08/11, as part of a performance at the AWCY? Universal Exhibition, Persen transferred an obelisk approximately 120 meters high from the venue to the Vikos Gorge in the Republic of Greece, where it fell to the bottom of the gorge. The obelisk was supposed to shatter as a result, at which time several mysterious phenomena occurred.
Audience members reported that a gigantic Nile perch, larger than the gorge itself, leapt from the surface of the river flowing into the gorge and swallowed the obelisk whole. The giant fish then disappeared, and Persen was extremely shocked and dismayed by the event to the point that he was arrested without any resistance by the UIU, which arrived on the scene after receiving the call.
Hermēs, president of Trismegistus Translation & Transportation (TTT) — an organization known as the corporate conglomerate of the deities — commented on the incident in his Void account, announcing that Zeus, the Greek god of the sky and his own father, had secretly hijacked Persen's project and had transformed himself into an obelisk with violent intentions toward Gaia, also a Greek goddess of the Earth, and hence he "teached him a lesson" in cooperation with his vice-president, Thoth.
An expert noted, "Regardless of the motive, Mr. Hermēs' action was admirable, since if the pieces of the obelisk had been scattered, it would have definitely had a negative impact on the valuable natural environment of the Vikos region."
Regarding the art terrorism planned by Persen, Hermēs commented, "The Vikos Gorge is just like one of her (Gaia's) pores, and she would not have felt a thing. I hope next time it will work better," generously encouraging Persen to try again.
An exclusive interview with Aleiya Persen can be found on…
