THE CONCEPT
Have you ever heard of a man whose eyes were limited to seeing yellow colour only for nearly one year and then blue for one hour? No? Me neither. But I really would like to answer: ’yes!’, and I assume that you too, so let me tell you about my concept:
I want to do a one year performance piece divided into two parts. During the first, long part (8759 hours), my eyes will be exposed to monochromatic yellow light only. I will be living in a room illuminated by mono-frequency lamps (low-pressure sodium-vapor lamps) that emit light of a wavelength around 589.3 nm. Unlike white light (e.g. sunlight), which contains all the wavelengths (colours) of the entire visible spectrum (380 nm - 740 nm), sodium light contains only yellow wavelengths.
Right after the ’yellow part’ I will enter a blue-saturated room for 1 hour. My eyes will be confronted with an intense turquoise light (465 -495 nm). It might be quite a dramatic moment.
This experiment will strongly affect my visual perception (for example, I will not be able to recognize colors of objects and beings under this narrowband yellow light). I will also lose track of time - I won’t have any time measuring device; I won’t see natural light, and that means: no sunrises, no sunsets for one year, no days, no nights, only the sodium and blue lights constantly on. That’s absolutely fine! That’s what all this is about.
Is there more to it than meets the eye? Is the performance a metaphor? A metaphor for… ?
The whole event will be constantly live streamed on You Tube. I won’t leave the performance space until the action is done, but you can visit me there (while in yellow), sure thing! Before that, if you would like to know more about the concept, please check my website and read the full statement.
WHEN, WHERE, WHO
WHEN:
I plan to start the performance in September 2019 and finish it in September 2020. I will start the preparation process when I have funds.
WHERE:
Berlin, Germany
WHO:
Marcin Lodyga - born 1979. A polish poet, philosopher, painter, filmmaker and music producer. Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan (the faculty of painting) in 2006. Studied philosophy at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. An author of four books: «The Hour of Seeings» (2000), «Ever After High» (2016), «Llow» (2016), «IN’YU» (written in 2017, not yet published). In June 2018 he recorded his first music album «IN’ (An Introduction to the Philosophy of Resistance)». Between 2005 - 2010 he made a series of long-durational performances and films. Lodyga has lived and worked in London (UK), Berlin (Germany), Cairo (Egypt), Iquitos (Peru, the Amazon jungle), Bangkok (Thailand) and Cebu (Philippines). Currently in Warsaw, Poland.
COSTS & REWARDS
«A Painter Must Wait» is my most expensive project so far. The length of the performance increases the costs, therefore I need your support. I will use the funds collected during this campaign to pay for the following essentials:
-yellow / blue room - building materials (steel metal channels, boards, ventilation system (with ventilation fans), 2 ceiling fans, sockets, light switches, wires, water pipes, a toilet, screws, white paint, gypsum) + construction team: 4200€
-low pressure sodium-vapor lamps (Phillips or Osram), fluorescent tubes, starters, wires: 620€
-Internet Protocol cameras + second-hand desktop computer for live streaming: 400€
-WI-FI internet connection, for live streaming (O2 or Vodafone), 12 months bill: 480€
-one year electricity bill (Vattenfall): 800€
-a space in Berlin that will host the yellow/blue room for one year: 800€ x 12 months: 9600€
-a paid volunteer (the Outside Man) for one year (responsible for food delivery, live streaming, social media marketing, shipping perks, visits arrangement, health & safety, dealing with technical issues, laundry) 600€ x 12 months: 7200€
-coveralls and shoe covers (5 washable coveralls for me, and 50 disposable coveralls for visitors): 400€
-a single bed with a mattress: 120€
-laundry: 6€ x 12 months: 72€
-food, drinking water: 15€ x 365 days: 5475€
-dietary supplements (especially vitamin D): 300€
-medical check-ups during the performance: 6 checkups x 120€ (Artzbesuche.de): 720€
-shipping costs (rewards): 500€
ABOUT THE REWARDS (DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS)
I will be using different colors of paints and pastels to make the rewards, but, under the sodium light, I will not be able to distinguish one color from another. It sounds like fun! I won’t see the actual colors of the rewards until I leave the performance space.
It is impossible to foresee the results of this ’sodium painting process - I don’t know how it will affect my vision. I assume it will be a great surprise. I wait for the unknown.
A painter must wait, and you are welcome to wait with a painter. From now on, we make it!