Performance Art Laboratory Project

PALA PROJECT 2007

The 15th Performance Art Conference


NYEPI

The realization of ability “to be an angel” for any one
Nyepi, Bali’s Day of Silence – Nyepi 2007 –
take place March, 18-20, 2007.
There is a curfew during every New Year’s celebration on Bali.
All evil spirits shall be irritated by the means of this “Day of Silence”.

Every religion or culture all over the world has their own way to define and celebrate their new year. For example, the Chinese have the Imlek year and to celebrate it, have, as they called it in their own language, “Gong Xi Fat Choy”. The Moslem societies have their Muharam year, and any of the people over the world using the Gregorian calendar, celebrate the New Year on January 1st.
The same thing also occurs in Bali, however the Balinese use many different calendar systems. They have adopted the Gregorian calendar for business and government purposes. But for the endless procession of holy days, temple anniversaries, celebrations, sacred dances, building houses, wedding ceremonies, death and cremation processes and other activities that define Balinese life, they have two calendar systems. The first is the Pawukon (from the word Wuku which means week) and Sasih (which is means month). Wuku consists of 30 items starting from Sinta, the first Wuku and end up with the Watugunung the last one. The Pawukon, a 210-day ritual calendar brought over from Java in the 14th century, is a complex cycle of numerological conjunctions that provides the basic schedule for ritual activities on Bali. Sasih, a parallel system of Indian origin, is a twelve month lunar calendar that starts with the vernal equinox and is equally important in determining when to pay respect to the Gods.
Westerners open the New Year in revelry, however, in contrast, the Balinese open their New Year in silence. This is called Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of Silence, which falls on the day following the dark moon of the spring equinox, and opens a new year of the Saka Hindu era which began in 78 A.D.
Nyepi is a day to make and keep the balance of nature. It is based on the story of when King Kaniska I of India was chosen in 78 A.D. The King was famous for his wisdom and tolerance for the Hinduism and Buddhism societies. In that age, Aji Saka did Dharma Yatra (the missionary tour to promote and spread Hinduism) to Indonesia and introduce the Saka year.
The lead up to Nyepi day is as follows:
Melasti or Mekiyis or Melis (three days before Nyepi)_Melasti is meant to clean the pratima or arca or pralingga (statue), with symbols that help to concentrate the mind in order to become closer to God. The ceremony is aimed to clean all nature and its content, and also to take the Amerta (the source for eternal life) from the ocean or other water resources (ie lake, river, etc). Three days before Nyepi, all the effigies of the Gods from all the village temples are taken to the river in long and colourful ceremonies. There, they have are bathed by the Neptune of the Balinese Lord, the God Baruna, before being taken back home to their shrines.
Tawur Kesanga (the day before Nyepi)_Exactly one day before Nyepi, all villages in Bali hold a large exorcism ceremony at the main village cross road, the meeting place of demons. They usually make Ogoh-ogoh (the fantastic monsters or evil spirits or the Butha Kala made of bamboo) for carnival purposes. The Ogoh-ogoh monsters symbolize the evil spirits surrounding our environment which have to be got rid of from our lives . The carnivals themselves are held all over Bali following sunset. Bleganjur, a Balinese gamelan music accompanies the procession. Some are giants taken from classical Balinese lore. All have fangs, bulging eyes and scary hair and are illuminated by torches.The procession is usually organised by the Seka Teruna, the youth organisation of Banjar. When Ogoh-ogoh is being played by the Seka Teruna, everyone enjoys the carnival. In order to make a harmonic relation between human being and God, human and human, and human and their environments, Tawur Kesanga is performed in every level of society, from the people’s house. In the evening, the Hindus celebrating Ngerupuk, start making noises and light burning torches and set fire to the Ogoh-ogoh in order to get the Bhuta Kala, evil spirits, out of our lives.
Nyepi_On Nyepi day itself, every street is quiet – there are nobody doing their normal daily activities. There is usually Pecalangs (traditional Balinese security man) who controls and checks for street security. Pecalang wear a black uniform and a Udeng or Destar (a Balinese traditional “hat” that is usually used in ceremony). The Pecalangs main task is not only to control the security of the street but also to stop any activities that disturb Nyepi. No traffic is allowed, not only cars but also people, who have to stay in their own houses. Light is kept to a minimum or not at all, the radio or TV is turned down and, of course, no one works. Even love making, this ultimate activity of all leisure times, is not supposed to take place, nor even attempted. The whole day is simply filled with the barking of a few dogs, the shrill of insect and is a simple long quiet day in the calendar of this otherwise hectic island. On Nyepi the world expected to be clean and everything starts anew, with Man showing his symbolic control over himself and the “force” of the World, hence the mandatory religious control.

Ngembak Geni (the day after Nyepi)_Ngembak is the day when Catur Berata Penyepian is over and Hindus societies usually visit to forgive each other and doing the Dharma Canthi. Dharma Canthi are activities of reading Sloka, Kekidung, Kekawin, etc.(ancient scripts containing songs and lyrics).
From the religious and philosophy point of view, Nyepi is meant to be a day of self introspection to decide on values, eg humanity, love, patience, kindness, etc., that should kept forever. Balinese Hindus have many kind of celebrations (some sacred days) but Nyepi is, perhaps the most important of the island’s religious days and the prohibitions are taken seriously, particularly in villages outside of Bali’s southern tourist belt. Hotels are exempt from Nyepi’s rigorous practices but streets outside will be closed to both pedestrians and vehicles (except for airport shuttles or emergency vehicles) and village wardens (Pecalang) will be posted to keep people off the beach. So wherever you happen to be staying on March19th in Bali, this will be a good day to spend indoors. Indeed Nyepi day has made Bali a unique island.The Visualisation of the Angel Being within the Human Being.

The Concept

° Performance-Artists worldwide will be invited to participate in the 24 hour event „Nyepi“.
There is two optional ways to participate:

a – The artists travel to Bali and will realize the event together with the artists from Indonesia and/or other present visitors and participants of the project at any chosen location there. It will be a lieu in the country because the whole city life will be completely disrupted. No production – no discussion – just be quiet and less in movements as possible.

b – Worldwide. The participating artists will realize this 24 hour happening in their home country, during a journey, at the place of their present being, alone or together with others. This can as well take place within any other project, while being on a vacation or in any other way. Thus any potential lieu worldwide, where the participating artist stays.
This event will and shall be isochronous.
For example 0:00 a.m. on the 19th of March in Bali equals 4 p.m. on the 18th of March in the UK and 11a.m. in New York on 18th of March.

° A website to document the event will be established. Only the names of the participating artist and names of the locations will be published there. No explanation, no depiction – simply the names and the place. This will be provided by ASA-European / E.P.I. Zentrum.

Philosophic Facts
° Man has only the choice between understanding and action, between insufferable truth and playful humbuggery, as long as he does not finalize, what he – with the help of his proud achievements hectically operates: the end of the historic process, that means his downfall, or if granted, the beginning of the past-historic era.“ Cioran

Slow down, renew, standstill, the quiescence worldwide during one single day, calm via slightest movement.
°John Cage: „The music that I focus on, does not have to be called music. Nothing exists within this music, that has to be remembered. No themes, just activity of tone and silence.”
° Charron noted down, that he recognized more brouhaha and turmoil in Florenz within the last ten years, then within the last 500 years in Graubünden, and concluded, that a polity can only endure, when it is possible, to “quiet and ease the spirit”.
° August 29th, in 1952, the American pianist David Tudor performed the world premiere of a new composition in New York. He sat down at the grand piano, closed the lid, persevered exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds at his instrument and then opened the lid again.

Transformation of traditions – to become tradition.
That the idea and cultural traditions of „Nyepi“ shine from Bali all over the planet.
That this day shall be performed annually, representing the first intercultural day of all the peoples of the world.
Nyepi – 2007” shall be transformed from a genuine artistic project to a cultural project.
That all peoples of the world are invoked, to anchor and legitimate this day within their catalogue of constitutional laws
(or to anchor it under their various existing forms of written constitutional laws, etc..).
That individuals are found, who delve into the further development of this project in their countries.

With regards and big hope of participation

Boris Nieslony

E. P. I. Zentrum
Europäisches Performance Institut

More information please open http://www.asa.de/conferences/index.htm

The 15th Performance Art Conference

March 18th -20th, 2007 BALI


Tawur Kesanga : Sunday, March 18, 2007 , Noon – Evening
Nyepi: Moday, March 19, 2007, 00:00:00 Miidle Indonesian Time (WIT) 24 hours
Ngembak Geni: Tuesday, March 20, 2007, morning – afternoon

March 19th 2007, 00:00 local time in Bali is simultaneous between 6 degree latitude south and 60 degree north

in Bangkok, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City / March 18th , 11:00 pm
in Singapore, Shanghai, Perth, Hongkong, Taipei / March 19th , 00:00
in India / March 18th , 09:30pm
in Pakistan / March 18th , 09:00pm
in Iran / March 18th , 09:00pm
in Russia / March 18th , 07:00pm
in Israel / March 18th , 06:00pm
in Greece, Bulgaria / March 18th , 06:00pm
in Poland, Germany, France, / March 18th , 05:00pm
in England, Northern Ireland, Portugal / March 18th , 04:00pm
in Curitiba, Montevideo / March 18th 1:00pm
in USA, New York, Canada Montreal, Toronto / March 18th , 11:00am
Santiago de Chile, / March 18th , 12:00am
in Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco / March 18th, 08:00 am
in Sydney, Australia / March 19th , 03:00 am

The event and ceremonies in Bedulu will take place at the main house:
House of Mr. Nuaja
JALAN SAMUAN TIGA NO. 1
DUSUN MARGO BINGUNG
BEDULU, BALI

How to participate in the project 15th Performance Art Conference

Nyepi 2007

Option A : PARTICIPATION IN BALI
° To come to Bali, you have to find your support by yourself. The E.P.I. Zentrum, has prepared an personal application for you to ask for support. ( in German and English). If needed, Melati Suryodarmo and Lemah Putih Foundation can give you additional letter.
° The conference means only the 24 hours of silence ( Nyepi). The ritual by the Balinese people needs 4 day. Two days before and one day after Nyepi. It is suggested to arrive at least 3 days before Nyepi, on the 16th of March 2007.

° Melati Suryodarmo offers a help to organize places to stay and a meeting place in a village called Bedulu, located in the middle of Bali. In Bedulu, “Nyepi” Ritual is still deep tradition and in very strong practice. In this village, there is a Pura Samuan Tiga Temple, which has a very strong inter-religious background and history. A simple open theatre and a simple village hall are located in front of the temple.

° Another possibility is to go to Bali to celebrate Nyepi somewhere in country-side with the people there and after the 24 hours you leave. As another possibility, you may choose to stay at the hotel in Ubud area.

We like the idea that performance artists from worldwide celebrate the conference in Bali and worldwide without having contact to each other.

 

Option B : WORLDWIDE PARTICIPATION

In this case it needs no condition, only your will to participate.
Fact is:
° You will be quiet for 24 hours on March 19th 2007. (Time in Bali) in Europe is to start March 18th 04:00 p.m. in England, later on this day in USA.
° In a private room or in some public space.
° You will do it alone or with some others, some artists or some people in sense, groups.
° You will do it with a press-information (Audience can see you be quiet and less of movements) or without any information for outside, without any audience.
° You inform me how you will do this and how your participation looks out. I, and the E.P.I. Zentrum will collect the information about participation and bring this in a website www.asa.de
° when I get some theoretical text about silence or movelessness, I will prepare next issue of the online magazine ‘slaps banks plots’
That’s all facts in moment. To ask for support, maybe you will and you have to start now.

 

This event is organized by Boris Nieslony (ASA European) in collaboration with Melati Suryodarmo, Padepokan Lemah Putih Solo and the family of Mr I Wayan Gdhe Nuaja.

Arts Council of Northern Ireland

PARTICIPATION IN BALI
Gillespie Brooke Hamre (USA)Heitzmann, Günther (Germany)Letourneau, Eric (Canada)Moser-Wagner, Gertrude (Austria)Nieslony, Boris (Germany)Patterson, Brian (Northern Ireland)Plienbangchang, Paisan (Thailand)AnA Wojak /sen-Voodoo (Australia)Sturm, Barbara (Switzerland)Ruiz,Ronaldo (Philipines)Daquiaoag, Thomas (Philipines)I Kadek Deddy (Indonesia)Boedi Otong (Indonesia)Melati Suryodarmo (Indonesia)Jozef Cseres (Slovakia)
PARTICIPATION WORLDWIDE:
° Andessner, Elisa / Austria
° Barber, Bruce / Canada
° Gustavo Alvarez/Musgus / Coahuila / México
° Boehme, John G. / Canada
John G. Boehme is still a go from Brentwood College Camosun College and the University of Victoria BC CANADA will endeavour to have my classes as well as three children quiet for the 24 hr period
° Brand, Jens / Germany
° Bbeyond (Northern Ireland)
Nyepi day of silence in Belfast is 4pm Sunday 18th to 4pm Monday 19th of March 2007,
and will take place in gallery PS2, Donegall Str. opposite Belfast Exposed gallery
near St. Anne’s Cathedral, city centre.
Sinead O’Donnel, Stephen Dorothy, Alastair MacLennan, Colm Clarke, Leo Devlin, Sinead Breathnach-Cashell and Birgit Salling Hansen
° Costa, Alexandre A.R. & dos Santos, Jorge Fernando (Public Performedia Home Country: Portugal.
Place for the action: City of Oporto, D. Frei Jerónimo Brito & Mello street, nº152 (ina a compartment of the private house)
The performance we propose, which we designated at personal level: “we are quiet at home”, can understand this structure: We stay in a closed compartment of a house, quiet and in silence during the 24 hours, and the idea is that we will put in the door of the respective house, a paper of great format with the following informative elements for the general public:
We are celebrating Nyepi: Bali`s Day of Silence
Beginning 18th of March 2007 at 16:00 p.m., during 24hours.
Please not to disturb, we are in silence and quiet.
If you want, go home and do the same.
uksic and other
° Couillard, Paul / Canada_
Small report about SILENCE #2 (at the table, with thanks to Boris Nieslony)_Perhaps you remember that I spoke to you of this idea, to sit at a table for 24 hours and invite others to sit in silence with me for as long as they wished… I acknowledged you in the title of the piece because of this conversation, but also because I think the few times we have felt comfortable together have been moments of shared silence. Having evoked you in the title, I certainly had a feeling of your presence many times throughout the 24 hours. (And of course I was also thinking of NYEPI, although it is not for another week…)_The space of the performance was difficult, a lobby space at the university, and I suspected that the conditions would add to the challenge for people. I was not wrong in this belief: For the most part, people were unwilling to really engage with the invitation in the piece. Of course many people would read the invitation, and say _to me that they thought this was a great idea, but then mostly they would walk away without sitting with me. Many more sat down but felt the need to talk, to entertain, to take care of me or themselves in some superficial way. Some sat but would turn away from me, or do things like turn their walkman on… A few tried, very genuinely, to sit TOGETHER in silence, but could not really sink very deeply into this special space. But also, I am pleased to say, I had three truly remarkable encounters with people who I felt really joined me in silence, and together we listened to all that was around us, full of feeling, but not distracted by it, simply being. Or being simply.. Paul
° Cruz, Mideo and De Loyola, Racquel (Philippines)
“an Unknown day”, a 24 hours of idleness. Starting March 18 at 11pm Manila time.
° Csuka, Liliane / Switzerland will participate in her house in Zuerich
° Eichenberger, Claudia / Switzerland
be quiet for 24 hours, alone at home, in Basel, Switzerland.
° Gneissl, Alexandra / Germany
to be 24 hours in a for me wellknown ‘soundpsace’. The space is in an indian tradition andlocated in a schamanistic visionsland in Denmark. He is built up half in the earth and connected with worldwide placed other soundspaces. She will interrogate the schamane in Denmark about this facts. This Variation will be in total seclusion, to take pictures are not able.
° Gorzalka, Werner / Germany
° ‘Hasena’ Trachsel, Peter / Switzerland
The participation will be in Dalvazza / Küblis / CH. He will invite some other participants
° Horde, Max / France
will participate with Fabien Montmartin and Emilie Schalc
° Hinterecker, Rolf / Germany
I will participate in the forest of the ‘Bergische Land’ close to Cologne
/ Germany. The work is a research project to eliminate the leftover noise
in nature by creating negative interferences with a chain saw.
There are several tests… nature reacted by its own resources. Like most
of the Balines people I believe in spirits..so after this
provokation, it started snowing today and so 70 % of the sounds became
calm or stopped (the screaming of the frogs)
In a certain way it went different from what I exspected, but the result
is the same.
/ Details under http://global-affairs.blogspot.com/
° Klingler, Monica / Switzerland
° Ibsch, Anja / Germany
Describtion_She will particpate in Berlin.
° Kwasniewski, Pawel / Poland + Marialuisa Ramirez Ernst / Chile
After so many years from meeting her in Santiago, Chile (at a party in _Alexander del Re’s aprtament), after flying together to Tierra Del _Fuego…. After meeting her in NYC….after so many years, months, _weeks and days….Marialuisa Ramirez Ernst is in Wawa, Poland.
° Loveless, Natalie
° Leisner, Margit / Brasil
A – with the association‘Nothing Day’ : http://nothingday.blogspot.comhttp://www.nothingday.hpgvip.ig.com.br/
B – and some people from Curitiba will go with Guarani-Indians in the Mountains to celebrate NYEPI
° MacLennan, Alastair / Northern Ireland_Describtion:_will particpate 24 hours in a space in Belfast and open this space for any incoming interesrs and participants.
°Miss Take, Katrin / Germany
° Montmartin, Fabien / France
Schalk, Emilie / France
Bruno Mercet / France
Amélie Laurence Fortin / Canada
Our performence called in french ‘ Soyons 9’, ‘being nine’ ‘being new’ . I haven’t choose yet all my partners.
Being new,appear in my eyes like before, during or after to priate as if you clean your mind. I’ve send you last time my ideas about our participation looks out… It was
Bertrand who translate it for you.
I’m a bit confused with my english, but i will try to do it again… There are three people, in three part of the world: One in France is name is Bruno Mercet, an other in Canada, her name is Amélie Laurence Fortin and the next in France, it’s me, Fabien Montmartin, each of us will invit two other peoples. It can be in a gallerie or in private room ‘caus my idea consist on making by webcam and internet to diffuse in France the canadians’ performences, and in Québec what is happenning in France on the same time. People
might see the performence in a place and what happen in an other part of the world joined by the same topic… Silence… it will be beautifull.
I’d like to say the way I think ‘silence’ or ‘movelessness’:
Silence is the unical border line where the soul can reconize herself. Being quiet, it’s for men or women being full of the Univers, and for a short time maybe, he or her forgets troubles and as a dancer can fell the energy of happiness.
In France we are supported by:
ecm Kawenga: http://www.ecmkawenga.com/diffusion/semaine_ctrK.htm
Ars numerica: http://www.ars-numerica.net/
Selfworld: http://selfworld.name (conferencevision)
chabalab: http://www.chabalab.net/
° O’Hara, Morgan / I / USA
° O’Shaughnessy, Francis and Sara Létourneau
The performance will be in the city Chicoutimi in Québec, Canada. A Native – First Nation event
4 people will participate in Chicoutimi to your project.
1-Francis O’Shaughnessy
2-Sara Létourneau
3- Stéphane Boulianne
4- Magali Baribeau Marchand
All the activities will take place at the Espace Virtuel Gallery in Chicoutimi (Québec)-Canada.
° Padin, Clemente / Uruquay :
I will pass 24 hours of fast taking only “mate”, a local infusion of herbs. Meantime, I will try
to order my archivs
° Paquete, Hugo – HYURO ZORBA / Portugal
My performance will be record some abstract questions that i go make to some persons and make the distribution of a flayer
with the sentence: the red squaw is – as the yellow one and the yellow one is + then the triangular shape that is in contact with the red square and in contact with the green cycle but not in contact with the black rectangular
shape in the top of this with sheet.
The emptiness in action is less important than casual and a bio electric distension of your arm’s think in the circle and move your self to the left 45 degrees, make a pause fill your brief in and out of your longs, think in the yellow square that not exist in parallel
with your action and move your self to the right 30 degrees and jump,spot is good in that way.
Now go home and make your live as a normal person if you want you can be a dissident and question the reason of this flayer and construct a
basis of arguments about art and casual situation, about the performance that you make fouling this orders.
But the most important is that you are participating in the The 15th Performance Art Conference. Will do this 24 hours.
° Ritter, Luea / Belgie / Switzerland
will organize somethings in Bruxelles
° Siu Lan Ko / Hongkong
° Steger, Elisabeth / Austria
Lisl Steger, born in Germany, living and working in Vienna and in her nets
she has no option but to participate in the MET zone of our planet
– in Iurop.
So, on Sunday, March 18th 2007, which is the 19th on Bali and Nyepi and at the same time the 165th birthday of the poet Stèphane Mallarmé, she wants to carry a dice in her pocket/hand, the whole day through, and bury an angel in silence.
“… every rite of transition recapitulates the social balances, collects and fixes in a certain space and in a certain time the pictures and re/actions which have been developed in the course of history.”
Luisa Accati – Il Mostro e la bella.
° Murin Michal / Slovakia
My participation will be in public, in this day I am teaching at school, so I will teach by silence, I will write a text about silence, which I will send you later.
this day I will: travel in public transport (quiet and less of movements – 6 hours), visit a pub (quiet and less of movements – for hours) and live my ordinary life, with one idea more – silence. I will let to know to somebody but also not tell anything to others
° Untersander, Maria / Switzerland
She will participate in Chur
° Vassya Vassileva / Bulgaria
a Double Silenced Discourse, a description of a silence applied ‘silently’, for 24 hours
° Suprapto Suryodarmo /Indonesia
participation from Borobudur Temple, Java.
This event is organized by Boris Nieslony (ASA European) in collaboration with Melati Suryodarmo, Padepokan Lemah Putih Solo and the family of Mr I Wayan Gdhe Nuaja.

 Arts Council of Northern Ireland