Part 3 of the performance "Elemental transformation ISIS 2"

22. April 2010
Nile

 The shell as an observer

We mummified a shell from the Red Sea (which I had received as a gift in Luxor) and coated it with asphalt impregnated linen. It really looks like the head of a mummy. This shell was used as a Camera obscura as a body of observance.

A Camera obscur embodies the principal of perception of an eye. In the beginning of the following described action I made a hole into the light-tight coverage of the shell using the 3 shapes of a boat. Then I positioned it accordingly. The picture of the outer world – the whole action – was projected on the inside and literally ran like a film there. At the end of the performance I closed and sealed the hole in the shell. The shell is not only dwelling of a creature but also earpiece. In our case it became the container of a special “image noise”. For me it is the head of the pharaoh filled with pictures.

  Transformation of the sun barque

Using the water essence from the temple, the water that had been enriched with gold, incense and myrrh, a boat of ice (solid) and water (liquid) had been formed. The ice boat was covered like a “mummy” and taken to the island. Its goal was the “earthly influence”.

The ice melts in the warmth of the sunbeams. The form of ice starts dripping and the water starts to flow back into the earth. In contrary, the water boat evaporates in the rays of the sun. It becomes haze and expands upwards. In the middle of this tripartite installation which develops in the rays of the setting evening sun is the copper boat of warmth with the continuous water cycle on its inside. The cyclic travel of the sun as a form of warmth is reflected on the outside, on the copper casing, but also as a symbol inside.

 The essence

At first we realized in the process of freezing the form of ice that this water needed much more time than normal water. Only after 2 days (46 h) at minus 13°C the shape of the boat was frozen. While melting the ice form a very peculiar effect occurred: it brought the water in the ice boat to the boil. (See video recording)

After sunset the ice boat was melted, the water boat had evaporated and partly flown back to the Nile – the performance „Elemental transformation ISIS 2“ had ended. We took the water out of the copper form of warmth and sent it as a test-essence to different places of essence-research and biodynamic cultivation.