ÜBUNG EXERCISE No. 9 — is melting choir

* performance paraphernalia: 1 + 2 garments, 3—10 glacier names from Canada and Switzerland, pasted on old envelopes addressed to me *

background of the performace

«ÜBUNG EXERCISE No. 9 — is melting choir» is based on a series of performances with the words 'ÜBEN EXERCISE' in the title. This performance is directly derived from «EXERCISE No. 7 - is melting», performed as part of 'LEGS, Too' in Toronto.

9 minutes performance

The performance relay has been going on since 11am. In the afternoon the space in Corner College room is packed with spectators and many performers who have already shown their perfor­mances, actions, impro­vi­sations, done their contri­bution or are still in the starting blocks. As fifth last at 18.48 it's my turn. So far, the schedule has been strictly adhered to by all parti­cipants.

I intend to distribute about 150 envelopes with the names of all major glaciers in Canada and Switz­erland to the spectators*. The slips of paper with names of the glaciers are glued over the 'address holes' that I tore into the envelopes addressed to me. I have been collecting the envelopes for a long time. So that I can use the nine minutes quickly for the campaign I ask Max and Regula to help me to distribute the 150 or so envelopes. Although I have a plan, I am moving on slippery terrain, because the space in Corner College with the many people present is very cramped and therefore a challenge for the imple­men­tation of my plan. While we distribute the envelopes, we instruct those present to make room in the middle and to stay at the edges. A large circle is created. To ensure that the initiators* of LEGS in Canada can also follow LEGS Zurich, a live streaming has been set up.

After the last envelopes have found hands, I turn to the spectators* in Canada: «... hello Canada it's great that you are with us, because of you we are doing LEGS tonight here in Zurich. I am using for my performance the names of glaciers of Canada and of Switz­erland».

Then the instructions to all present in Corner College: «I have here envelopes with the names of all the major glaciers in Canada and Switz­erland. I will be moving around the room. Whenever I walk by someone and I look at that person, or several people, I ask them to say the names of the glaciers aloud, which they can read on their envelopes and to continue and repeat them if necessary until I stop looking at them.

In the meantime I put on an orange oilskin jacket. In my hands I hold high shaft fishing boots on their velcro straps. I begin to hum the melody of «LUEGID VO BÄRG UND TAL» (an old Swiss folk song from the 18th century), then gradually changing the text into «IS MELTING, IS MELTING, IS MELTING ...» on the melody line. Buzzing and singing I move towards the audience* and take some of them in my gaze, release it from them again and turn to others. Depending on how the people in the audience react I modulate the humming and singing. At some point I start to change my gaze from one to the other faster until I move around in a circle. Triggered by my movements, the acoustic pronoun­cements of the names of the glaciers grow into a torrent of words. Like in a horizontal funnel they spin around in a circle, which in turn influences my movements. I suddenly change direction and according the torrent of words also .... This effect is caused by the narrow spatial situation. Actually I had imagined the action differently. How the circling sound of the glacier names and the spontaneous choreo­graphy of my space-consuming rotating movements synchronize is the surprise. This momentary choir and my acting composed and choreo­graphed itself.  

script   ...   performance envelopes with names of glaciers