Vol 1: Nebulous Origins
Mike Chavez-Dawson
1917
It is 1917
you are sitting by the French window, waiting for something. Your mother is asleep on the chaise, her breath sounds like linen gently ripping apart. She's very tired, there's been a lot of difficulty. Her hearing is worse, birdsong has disappeared. Had a little drink at lunchtime, now can't clear her head. You watched her hands shake as she carried the food tray into the garden, and it seemed as if everything was made of uncertainty. This cannot continue.
Wonder how it is
to be an old woman. Does she also wonder this? Then you drift, see the face of Lenin, in a chess piece, in a future newspaper, in a crowd of red mouths. Roses. The sound of the gardeners working outside brings you back. Her briar roses have grown to their fullest extent, they bend with heavy bee bodies. Look around at her, still asleep. It's a shock to see her face so clearly a mirror of yours, a delay in flesh. Hands both rest on her stomach, her face tipped toward the light.
It is still there
the ring. On one finger: the ring, although he’s dead. Dada. A sharp intake of breath and her dream changes.
Phil Davenport
Text by Sara Jaspan
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New York, 1999. What Would Duchamp Do? Born out of rejection Doubles, Echoes and Reverberations Death of the Author – Long Live the Authors A Tale Without an End The Many Authors Key Dates
New York, 1999. What Would Duchamp Do?
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alking has always been a meditative pastime, and artist Mike ChavezDawson is walking. Walking in New York and contemplating a potential proposal idea for the Wrong Gallery. By chance he finds his feet have carried him to 33 West 67th Street – the apartment where Marcel Duchamp had once lived, worked and later co-published The Blind Man Dada journal, containing within it the famous statement in defence of R. Mutt’s Fountain (1917) urinal. Chavez-Dawson had admired Duchamp since he was a child and decided to ask the father of Conceptual art what he would do if invited to commission a work from beyond the grave.
Ducha beyon a mos
amp spoke from nd the grave, lodging st curious request
But for this he would need help. Stepping into the nearby office of spiritual medium Madame Pamduch Ramcle, he sought to make contact with Duchamp, who kindly obliged by sending the clairvoyant a vision of himself wearing a urinal upon his finger. Perplexed but open-minded, ChavezDawson accepted the artist’s brief and out of this psychic encounter, the very early beginnings of FOUNTAIN, fountain‌ began to form.
Born out of rejection
F
OUNTAIN, fountain… is a multifaceted project about myth, authorship, collaboration and coincidence, exploring the nebulous origins and evolving significance of one of the founding and most iconic works of Conceptual art. 18 years on from Chavez-Dawson’s initial mediated conversation with Duchamp, the curious brief is now reaching fruition – exactly 100 years after the original Fountain was ‘created’ and rejected from the Society of Independent Artists’ inaugural exhibition in 1917, sparking unprecedented controversy and debate.
FOUNTAIN, foun in time to the n Conceptual art
ntain… journeys back nebulous origins of Fittingly, the story of FOUNTAIN, fountain… is also one that began with rejection. Returning to Manchester, Chavez-Dawson submitted a proposal to art world jester and Wrong Gallery founder Maurizio Cattelan outlining his aims to create a range of bespoke jewellery based on Duchamp’s instructions. Unfortunately, he never received a reply. Yet the idea remained stored firmly in the back of his mind, and in 2013 was finally brought to life by an invitation from artist and curator Richard Shields. The invitation was to create a new art work for an exhibition at the Royal Exchange Arcade entitled Rejected Proposal. The only criterion was that the piece should fit within a ring box and be based upon a previously rejected proposal. It was almost as though Duchamp had had a hand in the matter himself…
Finding ample room within these parameters, Chavez-Dawson set to work on the initial designs for Fountain Ring – the first in the FOUNTAIN, fountain… series. He based these on a close study of the only remaining record of the original Fountain still in existence: a photograph taken in April 1917 by the leading photographer and gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz, along with the technical drawings behind Arturo Schwarz’s 1964 reproduction at Tate Modern. Once the plans had been perfected, the long-awaited act of re-incarnation was finally performed by Manchester-based jewellery designer Amy Wilkinson and model maker Takashi Tateoka, who together cast the ring – and Duchamp’s wishes – into being. One last touch was all that then remained: to add the tell-tale signature of Fountain’s fictitious author, Mr R. Mutt, to the Fountain Ring piece. ChavezDawson painfully perfected this under the careful guidance of Tibetan thangka painter and tattooist Elliot Ripley. Thus signed, Fountain Ring became Fountain’s exact double in all but size.
The ring could be Fountain’s exact double in all but size
Doubles, Echoes and Reverberations
Duchamp: master of the simulacrum and progenitor of doubles
D
uchamp was, of course, the master of the simulacrum, and his Fountain has a history crowded by doubles. After the original (and only truly ready-made) version was lost in 1917, the artist later authorised numerous official replicas, no doubt delighting in the further challenge these presented to the notion of authenticity and the unique work of art. He even created his very own Fountain-in-miniature for Box in a Valise (From or by Marcel Duchamp or Rrose Sélavy) (193541) – a portable ‘museum suitcase’ containing 69 tiny copies and printed reproductions of his past works, itself existing in roughly 300 versions and spanning seven editions. Add Fountain’s unauthorised legacy to this equation – made up of countless rogue counterfeits, acts of earnest homage and tongue-in-cheek piss-takes (including Maurizio Cattelan’s golden throne in the New York Guggenheim) – and you begin to appreciate the true scale of the work’s oeuvre. ChavezDawson became fascinated by these multiple iterations and how Duchamp’s idea has echoed and reverberated throughout time. It wasn’t long until Fountain Ring spawned clones and spinoffs of its own.
Today, the FOUNTAIN, fountain… family has extended to include Duchamp’s Ring by Mike Chavez-Dawson, 2013 to 2017 (edition of twenty-one) and its sister piece in black marble: Linga-Yoni, Black Fountain, 2015 to 2017 (edition of seven). Through a series of close collaborations between Chavez-Dawson and others, the ring also features on t-shirts, in prints and drawings, and stars in a cinematic artist moving image work called ‘FOUNTAIN, fountain: evolving system of three’. It has been shown alongside works by Picasso, Man Ray and Max Ernst; forms the focus of an internationally touring exhibition; and has been used as the bond of marriage in the wedding of London art collector Dr Marios Pierides and his wife the renowned artcollector, Helen Mark.
The miniature ring has gone on to lead countless lives… Duchamp’s commission now forms part of the Manchester Art Gallery public collection, where one of the Duchamp’s Ring by Mike Chavez-Dawson, 2013 to 2017 edition pieces sits proudly on display. The acquisition was made to commemorate the departure of Maria Balshaw from her role as Director of Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester and Manchester City Galleries, and to celebrate her contribution to the North-West arts scene. A specially commissioned performance introducing the unveiling and song by Dr Micky Ruttman (performed by actor Mark Butt) entitled ‘Buddha of the Bathroom’ (inspired by an article from The Blind Man no. 2 1917) was given by artist Ruby Tingle, Chavez-Dawson and writer JT Chavez to celebrate the work’s official unveiling. [See end page for the script and song lyrics].
Death of the Author – Long Live the Authors
At the heart of each fountain lies a play upon authorship
D
uchamp was also a master myth-maker and his ‘original’ Fountain is a work surrounded by layers of mystery. Despite the extensive literature devoted to the great porcelain subject, our understanding of it and its provenance remains (to quote the art historian William Camfield) “riddled with gaps and extraordinary conflicts of memory, interpretation, and criticism.” Everything down to the true ‘authorship’ is up for debate; some attributing this to the German Baroness and Dada artist Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, while others have speculated over the involvement of Duchamp’s close friend Louise Norton.
An intentional play upon authorship lies at the heart of both Duchamp and Chavez-Dawson’s projects. Should we in fact thank the fictional R. Mutt, or the urinal’s manufacturer, J. L. Mott Iron Works, for their seismic contribution to Conceptual art? Or maybe the mysterious ‘female friend’ who submitted the piece to the Society of Independent Artists on Duchamp’s behalf? Likewise, is Pamduch Ramcle, or Duchamp himself, really the one behind FOUNTAIN, fountain…? Duchamp’s Ring by Mike Chavez-Dawson, 2013 to 2017 takes the game still a stage further: its title explicitly announcing the work to be ‘of’ one artist ‘by’ another (echoing the riddle-like wording of Box in a Valise).
Perhaps neither Fountain nor FOUNTAIN, fountain… could truly be said to be by one artist, but the outcome of multiple collaborations. Duchamp’s initial idea for the piece arose out of a three-way conversation with the collector Walter Arensberg and artist Joseph Stella, and he took several friends with him to help choose the urinal. The various elements of FOUNTAIN, fountain… have drawn upon the skill and involvement of a huge number of individuals; including filmmakers, musicians, animators, other artists, craftspeople, academics and gallerists. Chavez-Dawson even invited his two young sons, Avik and Lucio, into the process.
1917
1950
1963/4
1964
A Tale Without an End
Like all great ideas, Duch been recycled again and last 100 years, and will n
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tructural engineering company Atelier One has been particularly involved in the culmination of the FOUNTAIN, fountain… project, working with Chavez-Dawson to design an ‘inflatable environment’ based on a section from another of Duchamp’s famous works: The Large Glass (1915-1923). This will go on to house the FOUNTAIN, fountain… exhibition when it launches in September 2017 at Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre to mark Fountain’s centenary year. The show will then tour internationally, expanding the scope of the project further as new audiences and collectors come across the various thimble-sized porcelains.
hamp’s Fountain has d again throughout the no doubt continue to be
Just as Duchamp’s masterpiece continues to inspire new works and open new minds one hundred years on; the story of FOUNTAIN, fountain… is unlikely to end here. The project is constantly evolving, like an open conversation; ChavezDawson not being the kind to draw a line or add a final full stop. FOUNTAIN, fountain… is neither intended as a pure celebration of Fountain, nor academic exploration of the work. It is an intuitive gesture made in the spirit of Duchamp’s own playfulness; a poetic muse upon a work that has been described as both the death and birth of art; and an inquiry into the relevance and function of art history, and how that history continues to echo through us all. It is one artist responding to another, like a chess player marvelling at the moves of his opponent and wondering where to take the game next – the possibilities being endless. Duchamp, master of chessboard as well as great artist, would surely approve.
Duchamp’s Ring 2013-2017
Linga-Yoni, Black Fountain 2015-2017
The Many Authors
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eing a work produced, mediated and influenced by so many, FOUNTAIN, fountain… brings with it numerous important thanks, credits and acknowledgements. These go to the following:
Jewellery designer Amy Wilkinson whose skills and encouragement were instrumental to expanding the scope of the project, carrying Fountain Ring far beyond the series of drawings Chavez-Dawson had initially intended.
Sculptor and miniature model maker Takeshi Tateoka who also helped realise the early versions of the ring. Tibetan Thangka painter and tattooist Elliot Ripley who helped ChavezDawson to master the R. Mutt signature. Designer Rich Cosby who Chavez-Dawson collaborated with on the Linga-Yoni, Black Fountain, 2015 to 2017 series. Jewellers Becca Goulding and Jon Smith who worked with Chavez-Dawson on the production of later FOUNTAIN, fountain… editions. Art collector Frank Cohen who financially supported FOUNTAIN, fountain… in its early stages.
Filmmaker Brian Harley, actor Bevan Mullinuex, designer Sam Moore (GRID design), musician Duke Garwood, and producers Stratt Barrett and Steph Graham (Adapt For Arts) for their assistance on the production of ‘FOUNTAIN, fountain... Evolving Teaser Trailer... Version 1d, 20152017’, which debuted at Potent Proposition, UNION Gallery London (20152016).
The Duchamp Foundation for access to archive material. Also: Arts Council England, Ideal Standard / Armitage Shanks, the Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Fountain ’17, Madame Pamduch Ramcle, JT Chavez, Avik and Lucio, and many more.
Key Dates
6th April 1917 – Fountain by Marcel Duchamp is submitted to the Society of Independent Artists’ inaugural exhibition
9th April 1917 – Fountain is rejected by the Society of Independent Artists, giving rise to the birth of Conceptual art
6th April 2017 – Duchamp’s Ring by Mike Chavez-Dawson, 2013 to 2017 by Mike ChavezDawson enters the Manchester Art Gallery public collection. Its purchase is made to commemorate the departure of Maria Balshaw from her role as Director of Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester and Manchester City Galleries, and to celebrate her contribution to the North-West arts scene
9th April 2017 – Unveiling Soon print is presented and displayed at Manchester Art Gallery in the location where Duchamp’s Ring by Mike ChavezDawson, 2013 to 2017 will be on permanent display
4th May 2017 – Duchamp’s Ring by Mike Chavez-Dawson, 2013 to 2017 is officially unveiled at Manchester Art Gallery. The occasion is marked by a specially commissioned performance devised by Chavez-Dawson and writer JT Chavez, featuring a song entitled ‘Buddha of the Bathroom’ devised by Chavez-Dawson and artist Ruby Tingle. ‘Buddha of the Bathroom’ is based on Louise Norton’s article by the same name, published in The Blind Man no. 2 on 4 May 1917
13th May 2017 – Mike Chavez-Dawson & Ruby Tingle close the FOUNTAIN17 (as part of Hull Capital of Culture 2017) exhibition in Hull at the Eleven Gallery, with a bespoke performance that sees them submerse an unfired urinal painted black (titled Du Sang, 2017) into the estuary whilst singing ‘Buddha of the Bathroom’ as a commemoration of the festival and as a beginning for Fountain, fountain… which will continue the activity of FOUNTAIN17.
30th September 2017 – the FOUNTAIN, fountain… internationally touring exhibition opens at Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre
Sedulous Paroxysm of a fair ground performer – (Fountain, fountain…) Script JT Chavez with Mike Chavez-Dawson An Art Theatre Performance Curated & Directed by Mike Chavez-Dawson Inspired by FOUNTAIN, fountain nebulous origins by Sara Jaspan © JT Chavez with Mike Chavez-Dawson
Synopsis: Art critic Dr Micky Ruttman is introduced by Kate Jesson, positioned on the stairs looking down on the party he contextualises ChavezDawson’s work in terms of Duchamp, Fountain 1917, ‘Duchamp’s Ring by Mike Chavez-Dawson, 2013 - 2017’ and the Manchester Art Gallery.
Dr Micky Ruttman:
A Philadelphian art critic / historian who once saw Duchamp taking a pee in the Philadelphian Museum of Modern Art, he is suave, confident, knowledgeable and affable. He finds all conceptual art a mildly amusing joke that induces a slight smile rather than a grin or a deep-throated chuckle.
Cast: Kate Jesson as herself Mark Butt as Dr Micky Ruttman Ruby Tingle as herself Mike Chavez-Dawson as himself Song/Lyrics ‘Buddha of the Bathroom’ Written & Performed by © Mike Chavez-Dawson & Ruby Tingle 2017.
At Rise
DR MICKY RUTTMAN STANDS ON THE MIDDLE STEP TO ADDRESS THE AUDIENCE, READING FROM PREPARED NOTES. Micky Ruttman: Ladies, gentlemen, the kind and good of Manchester, the waifs and strays of the art world and the assiduous administration that supports them, welcome to this public unveiling of Mike ChavezDawson’s momentous piece. I think we will all agree that what it lacks in size it makes up for in its execution.
Beat
New to the Manchester Art Gallery collection is Duchamp’s Ring by Mike Chavez-Dawson, 2013-2017, though at present it is veiled.
MOTIONS TO THE VEILED PLINTH BEHIND HIM, NODS TO THE CROWD, MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH A FEW. In a break with tradition I will express the artists gratitude at the beginning rather than the end, to all the Buddha’s & Bodhisattva’s, Jane ChavezDawson, Paul Stolper, the team at Manchester art gallery, Kate Jesson, Maria Balshaw, Ruby Tingle, Mark Butt, Katy Carroll of Duchamp Tourism, JT Chavez, Sara Jaspan, David Hancock, Simon Woolham, Richard Shields, Dr John Rowe, Terry Donolon, Jon Smith, Takashi Tateoka, Amy Wilkinson, Frank Cohen, Dr Marios Pierides, Flux Magazine (Lee & Claire), FOURTH Day PR (Lizzie & Sapphire), FOUNTAIN ’17 (Jill & Tony) and Madame Pamduch Ramcle
So our centenary has finally arrived, the anniversary of Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’ his 1917 rejected piece from the Society of Independent Artists’ inaugural exhibition. For those who aren’t too familiar with the work, it was a urinal presented on it’s back with a signature R.Mutt hand painted on it and titled ‘Fountain’, it was what was known as a ready-made, an ordinary object that was then chosen by an artist and presented as an artwork, this was ne of the first.
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t was ahead of its time and as Arthur Danto noted it questioned the ‘status of a work of art to reality’ but what made Duchamp a master artist is that he saw potential in ‘Fountain’ that no one else could perceive. He lifted his head from his game of chess and saw substance behind all the tom-foolery that surrounded its initial being and with each return to the piece he created a new language for art that artists have ever since been trying to apprehend, assimilate and absorb. A head of his time the traditionalists hated him, artist loved him, and once Duchamp had exhausted the possibilities of the work, it was the latter that took up his mantel, to revisit and reinvent.
Beat Mike Chavez-Dawson’s work gives us a chance to remind ourselves why Duchamp is so revered by contemporary artists and audiences alike. Yet this isn’t a sycophantic response. Whilst there is reverence there is also a questioning of the ‘significance’ and ‘relevance’ endorsed by iconic works. Do they become something more or mere institutional trophies, gift shop souvenirs? He reduces in order to reinvent with a precision that is almost magical, a Willy Wonka transformation. I would argue that this is Chavez-Dawson’s most pertinent work to date; it embodies perfectly his use of myth, and infrastructure. Here his playful, esoteric tendencies have found the perfect platform.
Beat Coming out of a particularly productive period of collaborative projects, he is an artist that produces an object of wonderment around which his performances explode with energy and vigour
(IN A TONE THAT SUGGESTS HE’S JUST REMEMBERED AND SURPRISED HIMSELF)
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he key factor that really solidifies maybe even defies ‘faith’ is that Chavez-Dawson sought the actual words of Duchamp for this piece, and whilst this isn’t anything new what is, is the conversation with Duchamp that took place from beyond the grave. New York based spiritual medium Madame Pamduch Ramcle was the intermediary for the conversation of two artists - in two worlds.
Beat To protect the names of these various mediums they all go under the moniker of Madame Pamduch Ramcle.
(BACK TO NORMAL TONE – ADDRESSING THE AUDIENCE)
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ut Chavez-Dawson is no chain smoking chess player. If he is to be compared to anything it is an artwork rather than an artist, so often his social media accounts have him posed akin to Picasso’s ‘Old Man With a Guitar’ but unlike the 1904 work Chavez-Dawson is melodic rather than sorrowful.
We search for artists in their work but do we really find anything more than a whisper of their being? Duchamp himself said he doesn’t believe art but he believes in artists. The work laboured by their hands and minds is as much a reflection of us as it is them. Chavez-Dawson recognises this and places the Fountain upon a finger, the wearer is now both Duchamp and Duchamp’s artwork, they are a mobile gallery personified.
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Beat This brings into question my own role as the voice of authority or am I merely a pawn in an unfolding work-in-process, an echo or reverberation that resonates through us all. The object concealed under the veil only mediates a sense of the idea and the various components that brought it into being, it is quite simply a medium in itself, as it could be argued am I.
Beat The thing that strikes me is the multiple players involved with ‘Fountain, 1917 to 1964’. It is well known part of the Fountain mythology that the various versions around the globe are not the original. The 1917 urinal by R.Mutt or Richard Mutt only survives as a photograph by Alfred Stieglitz. The next two urinals were sourced from flea markets. The 1963 version was chosen by Ulf Linde, who also produce a version of the Large Glass by Duchamp, though not as complete as the lovely Richard Hamilton version you have here in the UK.
Then there are the completely redesigned and manufactured 1964 editions by Arturo Schwarz, which are the ones we are primarily familiar with today, residing in collections such as the TATE Modern. And it is this along Arturo’s technical drawings and Alfred Stieglitz’s photographs that Chavez-Dawson based his scaled down jewelled version. From this edition of twenty-one, most are in private collections. The first is owed by British sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor. This, edition seventeen, is the first to be secured within a public collection, an inclusion made possible by the generous support of London based gallerist, art dealer and collector Paul Stolper.
Beat The ring is usually sized to fit the collectors’ finger and on this occasion it has been sized to Maria Balshaw’s, who is now leaving this institute to become the new director of TATE, so we might say there is a serendipitous and poetic connection.
Beat
But what of this ego laden title? ‘Duchamp’s Ring by Mike Chavez-Dawson, 2013 to 2017’
(A PONDEROUS PAUSE)
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anchester based arts writer Sara Jaspan suggests ‘there’s an intentional play upon authorship at the heart of both Duchamp and ChavezDawson here, should we in fact thank the fictional R.Mutt (Chavez-Dawson would), or the manufacturer, J.L. Mott Iron Works, for their seismic contribution to Conceptual art? Or maybe the mysterious female friend’
The most common historic account tells us that the idea of Fountain 1917 stemmed between Duchamp, his patron and collector Walter Arensberg and fellow artist Joeseph Stella. But for a hundred years who actually submitted the piece to the Society of Independent Artists on Duchamp’s behalf has been an unanswered riddle? Was it Duchamp’s female alterego Rrose Sélavy? Or the author of the infamous Blind Man article on Fountain, Louise Norton? Or should we believe the current virulent view that it originated with the wonderful high priestess of Dada Baroness Elsa von Frey-tag Lohenhoven, a contemporary and admirer of Duchamp who frequented the same circles.
(CUE FOR AUDIO TRACK TO START) Likewise is the true author of Chavez-Dawson’s piece actually Pamduch Ramcle or Duchamp himself?
(LOOKS UP AND GESTURES TO RUBY AND CHAVEZ-DAWSON MOVING SLOWLY BACKWARDS.) So, the title ‘Duchamp’s Ring by Mike Chavez-Dawson, 2013 to 2017’ takes the game a stage further: …explicitly announcing the work to be ‘of’ one artist ‘by’ another this echoes the riddle-like wording of Box in a Valise.
BEAT Perhaps neither Fountain nor ChavezDawson’s work, or even perhaps any work can truly be said to be by one artist alone, instead it is the outcome of multiple collaborations.
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Chavez-Dawson is undoubtedly the auteur, director, architect of the piece, but many including the spirit of Duchamp have played part in its materialisation.
(STARTS DELIVERING THE LYRICS OF BUDDHA OF THE BATHROOM IN THE SAME MANNER WHILST DESCENDING THE STAIRS) So to conclude,
Our eyes are not ours, heads set the wrong way on our shoulders Forwards looking backwards, backwards looking forwards And we monkeys walk in the essence and motion of our ancestors And we monkeys walk as the sense of the tragic increases The monkey mind settles, oh the tragic rattles Our eyes are not ours, a death in every tailless existence Buddha of the bathroom, Buddha of the bathroom We monkeys hate to lose our tails Buddha of the bathroom, Buddha of the bathroom We monkeys walk to lift the veil A shade of bitter which dazzled him, blushing in his porcelain (MCD AND RUBY STAND ON THE UPPER TIER (FIRST FLOOR), WALKING SLOWLY ONE-STEP PAUSE, ANOTHER STEP PAUSE, BACKWARDS. ONCE AT THE STEPS THEY WALK DOWN THEM FORWARDS, ONCE ON THE LANDING THEY STAND BACK TO BACK, THEIR HEADS WILL ALTERNATE IN FACING FORWARD TOWARD THE AUDIENCE WHEN SINGING THROUGH THE RADIO MICS.)
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We monkeys lead this worship; it is neither safe nor scientific Man and ornament were one, woman and adornment now gone Resuscitate the primate we could- we do not love death as we should From the past from the fountain we hail, To the future, a ringing truth, a forgotten tail Can we resuscitate the primal flow- we do not love death, as we should, oh!
DR MICKY RUTTMAN START SINGING THE CHORUS ALONG WITH A HANDFUL OF PLANTED STOOGES IN THE AUDIENCE, WHO WILL PASS OUT COPIES OF THE LYRICS TO OTHERS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO SING.
Buddha of the bathroom, Buddha of the bathroom We monkeys hate to lose our tails Buddha of the bathroom, Buddha of the bathroom We monkeys walk to lift the veil AT T H E S A M E T I M E MCD AND RUBY TURN OFF THEIR RADIO MICS OFF AND PLACE THEM C E R E M O N I A L LY O N T O TO TWO SMALL BLACK CUSHIONS, BEFORE S L O W LY U N T Y I N G T H E VEIL CONCEALING THE ARTWORK ON THE PLINTH, MCD PLACES THE CORD/STRING INTO HIS INSIDE LEFT P O C K E T. )
(THEY WALK TOGETHER SLOWLY DOWN THE 13 STEPS WHILE SLOWLY WAFTING THE FABRIC UP AND DOWN IN RHYTHM TO THE TRACK & SINGING. ONCE ON THE FLOOR, THEY PLACE THE FABRIC AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEP. MCD PEEL OF LEFT, RUBY RIGHT. DR MICKY RUTTMAN COMES FORWARD AND FOLDS THE FABRIC LIKE A FLAG, ANNOUNCE DUCHAMP'S RING A BUDDHA OF THE BATHROOM NOW UNVEILED. HE WILL THEN PASS OVER TO RUBY DESCEND AND PEEL OFF LEFT.)
DR MICKY RUTTMAN STANDS BACK UP ON THE SIXTH STEP, FACES THE AUIDENCE TAKES A BOW THREE TIMES, I’d like to thank you all. All those who have a raffle ticket, please have them to hand. As we have some commemorative gifts courtesy of Duchamp Tourism and Fountain 17. MICKY RUTTMAN TAKES THREE TICKETS FROM HIS INSIDE POCKET, THEN CALLS OUT EACH ONE AT A TIME, KATE JESSON PASSES EACH PRIZE TO THE WINNING TICKET HOLDER
Beat Well done, once again, from myself and the artists - we like would thank you. Now back over to Kate Jesson. Micky ruttman passes the mic to kate jesson, before he walks up the steps, once in front of the artwork, he looks closely, laughs, then bows three times before asending the steps to his left, and peeling off left then right to go through the gallery – to be met by mike chavez-dawson & ruby who will bow to him three times, before shaking his hand, then they walk back to the mag greenoom
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Graphic Design by Ella Marshall
Logo Design by Grid Design
Buddha of the Bathroom, Buddha of the Bathroom We monkeys hate to lose our tails Buddha of the Bathroom, Buddha of the Bathroom We monkeys walk from the Milky Way A shade of bitter which dazzled him Blushing in his porcelain We monkeys lead this worship It's neither safe nor scientific We reveal ourselves, readymade Balloons bursting in cascades A dream afloat in the primal flow Ornamental clusters a-glow Oscillating, the fountain we hail A cinematic blossoming, hear the phantom wail Can we resuscitate, ourselves remade? As we descend from the Milky way...
978-1-909388-22-2