The "Exercises in Seeing" exhibition in San Francisco opened to the public on the fifth of December 2009 after the sun had set and closed before it arose again, lasting one night only. For the short duration of the show, the lights remained off. The works existed in complete darkness, or were dimly outlined by the scarce ambient light from the moon and streetlamps entering the doorway and windows. An audio guide offered the guests descriptions of the essentially unviewable works.

For my contribution to the exhibition, I asked the curator to recreate a ritual I had recently performed based on my idiosyncratic translation of it. Since I was unable to be present for the opening, he needed to realize the piece for me. I sent him the few materials necessary for performing it: a vial of honey, a carved salt rock in the shape of a pyramid emerging from a formless matrix, a large piece of fresh red meat, and my handwritten instructions detailing how to perform this rite and what needed to occur both in his mind and in the space.

The ritual had been explained to me by my uncle as it was told to him by a man he had met while traveling in the vast deserts in China. [See my email to the curator below]

The work was named Matthew, after the curator.

He hasn't spoken to me since.



The audio guide description of the work: