Issue 3

] Formulated Measurements [

Emil Rønn Andersen

 

[Report – a small fictional monument based on the practitioner's memory and external recordings]

[…] [The practitioner kneels down. Unloads the weight from his shoulder. The forest floor provides a soft landing for the hardened materials. All based on something already standardized. Though not at first a particular significant impact, the introduction of a rather influential relation is made. A relation already inextricably connected to what the practitioner is about to find.
The practitioner leaves the instrument laying on its subject, while setting up a small camp nearby. Returning glimpse of a track in the forest floor announce his presence. The practitioner assembles the instrument. A familiar act within a familiar idea. It is done systematically and controlled, almost automatically, calming and comforting to the practitioner.
He mounts the additional tools in the instrument's three smaller spaces, tightens up the light absorbable
membrane between the instrument's two larger spaces, and fixates the tunnel shaped structure to the ground
with strings and pegs.
He turns on the additional tools and the build-in artificial light, covers his head and half his body with a black piece of fabric and records the first measurement - compressing and translating three spatial arguments into a 20 x 20 cm photographic narrative.
Time 15.04.34. A 4 minutes and 34 seconds aberration from the system.
The practitioner removes the black fabric, and returns from the instrument's internal light to the external daylight. It blinds him, making him unable to move for a few seconds.
He starts searching for objects that are somehow representative towards the subject. The limitations of the instrument's structure and the practitioner's limited conception concerning the subject makes the search quite specific. Extracting objects from the subject, removing them from their complex relations, results in small monuments with the ability to pretend being something else than just a few arranged arguments separated from the immensely complex narrative hiding within the subject. An abstraction creating space for diverged, rather self reflecting, impressions.
16.01.05 a cut off branch with leaves is recorded in the first larger space, and then moved behind the membrane into the second larger space.
17.00.12 a new cut off branch is recorded in the first larger space. The branch from 16.01.05 now appears on the current recording as a shadow on the membrane separating the two larger spaces, blocking out small parts of the recorded and projected external space, also figuring and sharing the area of the membrane.
This procedure continues systematically and fulfilling to the study's conceptual guidelines for the next couple of hours.
At 21.49.59 a recording is done. The aberration from the system is noticeable. The practitioner starts to feel
troubled. Fulfilling the specific system have neglected the practitioner's basic needs for rest and food.
The system's infliction of rules, disciplining the practitioner's body, is starting to show its effect on the study.
The daylight is gone, and the practitioner must continue his search with the limited amount of light supplied by his headlamp. While the light disappeared, sounds appeared instead - unknown to the practitioner.
The external space is no longer visible on the recordings, only distorted shadows appear on the membrane. The practitioner continues the study, finding small gaps to rest, making him just able to continue the work in a state constantly on the border of being awake and not. The main track between the instrument and the camp is becoming more and more distinguished. The less visible and more or less unexplored sidetracks are no longer considered, due to the practitioner's reduced capacity to act without firm guidance by his already founded tracks.
The practitioner lays on his back to rest for a short while. He turns off his headlamp. The source of light diverts - instantly paralyzing. Stars and silhouettes of branches ramifying towards the black sky. They disappear again. He leaves the scenery for a while, just to wake up shortly after in order to return to his own tracks.
The morning light makes its way through the branches.
The membrane is filled with shadows, making the external space only slightly visible. The aberrations from the system are becoming increasingly dominant. The recordings more and more abstract, obscure, and without the notion of any logic found in the earlier recordings. The practitioner is mesmerized by what he finds. Discharging the system in advantage for his newly found impressions. Any conceptual guidelines and premeditated arguments and understandings are for a couple of hours forgotten. The instrument becomes a scene for something else.24 hours and 36 recordings after the first measurement, the last recording is done at 15.15.46.The recording shows an empty space. The forest floor is still there. The extracted objects have been dismounted, revealing the external space on the membrane again.
It is imprecise, even uncertain, what was measured during the performance.

 



Formulated Measurements
Cord, wood, oil, varnish, molton and paper
2011



Formulated Measurements
Inkjet print, various dimensions
2011