a circuit on a bag of Radio Rotor

Walking without haste is something I enjoy doing. For years I lived in the center of Amsterdam and was also regularly found in the Kalverstraat. There was a large De Slegte store there with books on all possible subjects.

One day I passed by and saw a book about the highest capital in the world, La Paz in Bolivia, at 4000 meters altitude. People could experience problems with oxygen and breathing when they first arrived. That really captured my imagination.

My focus on La Paz wasn't entirely out of the blue. An open call had been placed for participation in the La Paz Biennial and it seemed super cool to participate. I wondered if and how one could visualize breathing and came up with a solution. That's how I submitted a proposal and was invited to come and realize it.

El cielo puede esperar
I designed a space where, upon entering, you see a pause sign on the wall and hear someone breathing. When the pause light came on, the breathing stopped. When the pause sign went off again, the breathing resumed.

For the design of the pause sign, I drew inspiration from Theater Bellevue. Then to Radio Rotor in the Kinkerstraat. They collected the electronics to switch the pause sign to the breathing recording. They put them in a bag with a drawing showing how the circuit should be soldered. I don't understand electronics, but I can solder. It worked!

For safety, I also brought a second set so that I could resolve any emergencies on site. With a soldering iron in my luggage, I left for La Paz. At the market, I bought a load of potatoes that originally came from South America. I hung a light bulb above them. Every day, there was an old attendant in the museum with a nice blue dust coat who watered the potatoes so that air roots would grow on them.

During my stay in La Paz, I organized a 2-day workshop for students from the Hernando Silez Art Academy about working on location in and around a beautiful building of the Goethe Institute in the hills. Very enjoyable to do. The art academy invited me to return the following year to organize a larger art project with students in public space, which I did.