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Site Map THE B-THING |
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by Gelatin
The Israeli Art Students
and Movers Story, by Wayne Madsen Table of Contents
THE LONELINESS OF RAFFIA. THE GROUP GELATIN IS COMPRISED OF FOUR YOUNG MEN. WHEN ONE OF THEM SPEAKS OR SMILES YOU CAN SEE A GAP IN HIS TEETH AND ONE OF THEM HAS BROKEN THE TIP OF ONE HIS INCISORS. I ONCE SAW ONE OF THEM IN A LIGHT BLUE TOWELLING ROMPER SUIT, AND I DON'T KNOW THE FOURTH AT ALL. THEY ALL HAVE SOMETHING UNAIRED ABOUT THEM AND SO-CALLED 'EARLY MORNING HAIRDOS! I ASSUME THIS GOES FOR THE FOURTH ONE TOO. I KNOW THAT THE ONE WITH THE CHIPPED TOOTH ONCE DROPPED A VAST COFFEE CUP AND IT BROKE INTO A THOUSAND PIECES. HE PAINSTAKINGLY GLUED THIS MONSTROSITY (IT WAS EASILY BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD TWO ORANGES) BACK TOGETHER, PIECE FOR PIECE LIKE A JIGSAW PUZZLE. HE WAS PROBABLY VERY ATTACHED TO THE VESSEL HAVING DRUNK OUT OF IT WHEN HE WAS A BABY, OR HAVING BEEN BATHED IN IT. MAYBE THE DIY ASPECT GRABBED HIM IN THE CASE OF THAT RATHER WORTHLESS OBJECT. EVEN PITY? THE SISYPHEAN ASPECT OF THE TASK WITH ITS IMPLICIT DOOM TO FAILURE? IF JUST THE TINIEST CHIP IS MISSING THAN IT IS NO GOOD FOR DRINKING OUT OF ANYMORE. "THE LONELINESS OF RAFFIA" IS A LITTLE KNOWN SHORT STORY BY FRANZ KAFKA AND, AS THE TITLE IMPLIES, IT'S ABOUT WHAT GOES ON IN SOMEONE'S MIND WHEN THEY GET IMMERSED IN A KIND OF SOLIPSISM, A TIME-CONSUMING EXPERIMENT WITH UNKNOWN RESULTS. WHILE KAFKA'S NARRATIVE AN INDIVIDUAL WANDERS THROUGH THE LABYRINTH OF POSSIBILITIES ALONE, THE GENTLEMEN OF GELATIN HAVE ONE ANOTHER. THEY CAN DELEGATE, DISCUSS, OR SIMPLY GO TO THE LOO IN EVERY PHASE OF THEIR PROCESSES, LIKE THE BEATLES. LONELINESS IS NOT AN ISSUE THEN IN THEIR PROCESS, OR SO I ASSUME. BUT THE SUBVERSIVE ELEMENT, WANTING TO GO THROUGH THE WALL HEAD FIRST, THEIR RESOLUTENESS, THEIR ECCENTRICITY ARE ALL SHARED WITH THE KAFKA'S FICTIONAL FIGURE. THE HOLE IN HANNOVER AT THE EXPO, WHERE ONE COULD DIVE FIVE METERS DOWN TO ARRIVE AT A KIND OF JUNK ROOM, BUT ONLY IF YOU HAD YOUR SWIMMING TOGS WITH YOU; A LITTLE HOUSE IN A GALLERY IN VIENNA WITH AN ELEVATOR, STAIRS ROOMS -- A ROUGH PIECE OF CARPENTRY HELD TOGETHER WITH PLASTICINE. IT WAS WOBBLY AND CROOKED WITH SHELVES, AND ON THEM WHERE MUTILATED STUFFED ANIMALS THAT HAVE BEEN PICKLED IN OIL IN VAST JARS LIKE SOUR VEGETABLES. A TUNNEL FROM ANOTHER GALLERY (IN AUSTRALIA) RUNNING RIGHT UNDER THE ROAD. UNDERNEATH A PIZZARIA AT THE OTHER SIDE YOU COULD HEAR THE PIZZA NOISES, THE EXTRACTOR HOOP WAS AN EXPONENT. GUESTS WERE GIVEN BOTTLES OF BEER LIKE BRICKLAYERS, WHICH IRRITATED THE SMARTER PEOPLE IN THE CROWD. AND THEN THE SURGICAL INTERVENTION IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY. EVERYTHING TOP SECRET AND ILLEGAL OF COURSE. IN DAYS HAD TEDIOUSLY SMUGGLED INTO THE BUILDING UNDER THEIR PULLOVERS, THEY CONSTRUCTED A FUNCTIONING LOAD BEARING BALCONY. IN A LONG COMPLICATED PROCESS THEY SCRATCHED PUTTY FROM THE TALL HEAVY WINDOW, WHICH COULDN'T BE OPENED, THEN THEY EXTRACTED IT. USING SUCTION PADS, SHUNTED THE BALCONY OUT, POSED ON IT AT 6 IN THE MORNING AND HAD THEMSELVES PHOTOGRAPHED THERE FROM A HELICOPTER FOR THEIR NEAREST AND DEAREST BACK HOME. THEY KEPT VERY MUM ABOUT IT ALL, BECAUSE IF WORD HAD CREPT OUT ABOUT THEIR COUP THEY COULD HAVE BEEN FINED VERY HEAVILY FOR SABOTAGING A NATIONAL TREASURE EVEN IF IT WAS BUILT BY A JAPANESE. INCIDENTALLY AS PROOF THAT THEY WERE THERE THERE IS NOW A PIECE OF OLD CHEWING GUM STUCK TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING AT A DIZZY HIGHT. THE NEXT THING THAT THEY ARE PLANNING IS TO KNIT A KILOMETRE LONG HARP AND HAVE IT DROPPED SOMEWHERE. ONE QUESTION REMAINS UNANSWERED THOUGH WHY DIDN'T THE ONE WITH THE CHIPPED TOOTH GLUE THE MISSING BIT BACK ON AGAIN? TEX RUBINOWITZ, FEBRUARY 2001.
DIE DEUTSCHE
BIBLIOTHEK - CIP - EINHEITS AUFNAHME © 2001 VERLAG DER BUCHHANDLUNG WALTHER KONIG, KOLN
TEXT: TEX
RUBINOWITZ
COURTESY: LEO
KOENIG INC. / NEW YORK
GELATIN THE B-THING
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