performances 2006 / performances 2005 / performances 2004
Shallow Thoughts 3.12.2004, Red House Center for Culture and Debate, Sofia
Ideology : Boryana Rossa, Oleg Mavromatti
Camera : Anton Terziev
Photography : Alla Georgieva
Life video mix : A. Silvestrov
Video avalable on DVD, Mini DV
More pictures
We (Boryana Rossa & Oleg Mavomatti) are sitting
on the roof of the Red House over its Red Hall.
It looks like a hothouse.
There are 3 cameras, that document the action.
The first camera gazes on Oleg’s hands, the second is fixed on Boryana’s
head, and the third moves around.
People in the hall can watch us trough the transparent
ceiling, or watch the video and hear the sound transmitted from the roof
and mixed life in the hall.
We are dressed in safety suits. We cut the suits and engrave with a razor,
on our skin the mapped genome of bacteria e-colli, as a result of hybridization
During this activity we talk about the differences and equalities, we talk about symbiognesis and nomogenesis as an alternative to the Darwinist theory of evolution.
We compare the struggle for life and the symbiosis.
We talk about these two theories as different scenarios for social relations
in human society.
We also reconsider the relations between procaryote, eucaryote, living,
semi-living and "mechanical" organisms, based on the vital importance
of everyone for symbiosis.
We proclaim equality for all!
We talk about the blood brotherhood and blood transfer between races, we talk about skin as a surface and a membrane, we talk about radical gestures as an opposite to the mimetic ones.
We talk about the nature of e-colli, and the fact that it can cause deadly diseases, even though it lives in our body.
We talk about the Revolution of the species.
We are serious, we laugh, we scream, we sing, we talk quietly. We are ironic, but to a certain extent. We draw the audience to be part of our everyday conversations about art and life, death and pain, giving birth and killing.
We absorb our blood with our safety suits and we throw them down on the audience.
We don’t want to be saved.
Повърхностни мисли 3.12.2004, Червената къща, София
Транслиран на живо от покрива на Червената
къща в Червената й зала, и миксиран от Андрей Силвестров.
По време на този пърформанс ще бъде осъществена кръвна братска връзка
между прото-бактерията E-coli, Боряна Росса и Олег Мавроматти, което ще
бъде следваща стъпка в еволюцията на химерните организми и знак за равенство
между така наречените “висши” и така наречените “нисши” организми.
Какво е това E-coli и защо тя представлява интерес за изкуството?
- Тази бактерия е едно от малкото живи същества на планетата, чиито геном
е рзашифрован.
- Това е най-често използвания организъм за опити в микробиологията и
генното инженерство, както мишката или заека.
- Именно с E-coli започва и био-арта (проектът на Джо Дейвис microvenus),
а след това тя многократно фигурира във проектите на други художници като
> Едуардо Кац, Адам Зарецки и т.н.
- Местообитанието на бактерията е дебелото черво, който факт най-често
се свързва с аналния секс.(което несъмнено представлява интерс за >
изкуството!)
- Интересно е, че тази бактерия най-често е използвана като обект-мишена,
в реакцията ПВР (Полимеразната Верижна Реакция), т.е. като “сурогатна
майка” на фрагменти от човешкото ДНК
- E-coli е една от най-древните бактерии, вероятно обитаващи организма
на прото-хората – жителите на Райската градина.
The Last Valve 6.oct.2004, Outer space
performance by Boryana Rossa
Ideology : Boryana Rossa, Oleg Mavromatti
Camera : Anton Terziev
Photography : Alla Georgieva, Rassim
Special thanks to Alla Georgieva and Rassim
Video available on DVD, Mini DV
documentation
photos
In ”The Last Valve” Boryana sews up the lips of her vagina. This refers to one of the ideas in the manifesto - overcoming gender (both male or female), together with all consequences, that its existence brings to humanity.
The performance is also dedicated to the future emergence of a new class of beings (artificial and semi-living) for whom the gender won’t be a foundation for contradictions, because these entities will not be gender specific.
* “The Last Valve” is the name of an article
written by V.I. Lenin about
Stolipin’s reform, published in 1905. It refers to opening the last valve
to release the tension before the Bolshevik revolution. This reform (the
last valve that was still opened) postponed the Revolution in Lenin’s
opinion, but not for a long time.
Now, Boryana Rossa closes the valve and increases the tension that leads
to “The explosion of The Great Species Revolution”.
Alternative chess programming sidewalk in front of the Ministry of Interiour, Sofia (2004)
Ideology : O. Mavromatti
Performers : O. Mavromatti, Boryana Rossa
Oleg plays chess with a computer. The game has keyboard interface. Boryana sets on fire his hands. The keyboard is set on fire by Oleg’s burning hands. Computer responds to the fires “moves”. The fire continues playing on behalf of Oleg, till it burns the whole keyboard.
Video available on DVD, Mini DV
documentation
photos
3 Hooks for Catching Texts (a critical reading of Isaac Asimov's "I, Robot"); Center for Contemporary Art, Antient Bath, Plovdiv (2004)
Ideology : Boryana Rossa, O. Mavromatti
Drawings : Boryana Rossa, O. Mavromatti
Performers : Boryana Rossa, O. Mavromatti, K. Damianova, A. Terziev
Photography : Ivan and O. Mavromatti
The action takes places in to halls of the Ancient
Bath.
I stand in the first hall and I read one of
Azimov’s stories, from his book “I, Robot”. This story contains all 3
laws of robotics.
I replace everywhere in the text the word “Robot” with the word “slave”.
In Slavic languages the word “Robot” comes from the word “rabota”, which means- “work”. The word “rabota” comes from the word “rob”, which means “slave”.
I write on the mirrors, hanged on the wall the already modified by me Three laws of robotics. People see their mirror images through the written words.
Meanwhile in the next room, Oleg, Katia and Anton, dressed like office workers hang on the wall my drawings. For these drawings I used a wasted office paper. The drawings I made on it are rebellious and comment on the place of the Robot in contemporary society. They talk about Robot revolutions.
After I finish the reading we go out, cook soup and feed the people on the street.
This performance widens the already existing discussion
about the robot rights in the age, when we think about creation of artificial
intelligence that exceeds the human one.
The perception of sentience is a leading one when we talk about differences
and equalities.
Video available on DVD, Mini DV
docunetation photos
Burning Letters (2004), Center for Contemporary Art, Antient Bath, Plovdiv
Ideology : O. Mavromatti, Boryana Rossa
Drawings : Boryana Rossa
Performers : O. Mavromatti, A. Terziev, Boryana Rossa, K. Damianova, M.
Dimitrov
By this performance we comment technology as a part
of the sacred activities of the humanity.
We think about the pain and catharsis as a TECHNOLOGY for communication
with a different reality.
We use the tefillin, as a technological-device, which is required during
praying. The prayer is a mean for communication.
Performance description
For this performance we create an electric circuit between our bodies. We use also an EMG amplifier, which output is used for “receiving the message”. We “receive” the message as an exposed picture on a photographic film with high sensitivity. This image is an exposition of the electrical potential of the skin of the performers generated during our actions.
Boryana and Miro carve prayers with hot pyro-pens on the back of Oleg and the arm of Anton. A sensors on the bodies of Oleg and Anton register the change of the electrical potential of their skin. This signals flows together and amplify by Katia’s tefilin, which is fixed on her hand. The signal then goes to the EMG amplifier and its output is an electromagnetic field generated by a coil inside Boryana’s tefilin. In the same tefilin we put a high-sensitive photographic film, near the coil. The image HERE is the picture we got after we processed the film.
The image is a visualization of the pain of the performer’s bodies, caused by the carved and burned letters of the prayer on their skin.
There is one additional control output, which is a video visualization of the process on a TV set.
Video available on DVD, Mini DV
documentation
photos
The result (visiogramma) of the performance
Installation of teh video and the "viziograma" from teh performance at the exhibition "The Ideal" (2004), Center for Contemporary Art, Ancient Bath, Plovdiv. More pictures
Manifesto presentation (2004), Center for Contemporary Art, Ancient Bath, Plovdiv
performer : Boryana Rossa
The first public presentation of ULTRAFUTURIST manifesto.
Center of contemporary Art, Ancient Bath, Plovdiv.
Boryana Rossa reads it standing in one of the blind windows of the biggest
hall. Meanwhile on the ceiling is projected “Ia robot, I ne tvoi rabotnik”.
After the reading Boryana throws leaflets with the slogan “New world order”
and a drawing of rebellious-robotic hand down on the audience.
Video available on DVD, Mini DV
documentation
photos
Universal Tongue (2004), The roof, Zona B5, Sofia
Video
Quicktime 1.8 MB
Ideology : O. Mavromatti
Performers : O. Mavromatti, Talk-a-bot
Assistants : M. Dimitrov, K. Damianova
This work is a comment on understanding religion
and faith in the age of artificial intelligence.
Oleg puts his tongue on the Bible. Miroslav nails it to the book. Two
batteries are connected to the nail. There is a metal plate inside of
the book, which works as a switcher for the robot, wired to it.
At the time nail reaches the plate, the circuit is closed and the robot
begins speaking and walking. It says “ I believe in God”.
There is one and the same word used in Bulgarian and Russian for both
– language and tongue. Universal language can be also read like “ universal
tongue”.
What Computer Feels When You Work on It (2004), National Palace of Culture, Sofia
Ideology : O. Mavromatti
Performers : O. Mavromatti, a Computer
What kind of pain I will feel if I have programmable body?