Gips

The work was implemented for the festival “Informal Capital” held in St. Petersburg in May 2000. All regular visitors of the gallery POLYGON have been suggested to conserve in a box with gypsum an object representing their “personal culture.” People were willingly participating in the project. Some constructed sculptures from gypsum, while others sank some personal things in it. When the gypsum boxes had accumulated a few dozen, they were all collected together and exhibited in the courtyard of the cultural center “Pushkinskaya 10.”

Upon completion of the project, one of the former participants asked to return his personal object, which had been conserved in the box thoughtlessly. I protested. Then he offered a payoff. I suggested instead of a payoff an exchange: the needed object would be returned in exchange of an other, useless one, which was to replace the old object. He agreed. Then I asked him to publicly prove that the cost of both of these objects, as well as the amount proposed as payoff, were equivalent. Hesitant and confused, he presented his evidence. The object has been returned to him.

His performance, as well as our discussion has been documented on video.

 

 
(Documentation of performance is preserved in part).