The Three-Hour Bench, Constraint #68 Choose a public bench. Sit down. Stay for exactly three hours. Observe. Don’t read, don’t look at your phone. Just be there. Reference artist(s): Tehching Hsieh. The protocol Choose a bench in a busy place……
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On Kawara, the Date as a Work of Art
On January 4, 1966, On Kawara paints a canvas. Grey-green background, white letters, rigorous typography: JAN. 4, 1966. Nothing else. No composition, no expressive gesture, no visible signature. Just the day’s date, hand-painted with almost mechanical precision. He stores the…
Constraint of the Week: The Backwards Dinner
The Backwards Dinner, Constraint #67 Serve dessert first. Then the starter. The main course last. Nothing else changes. Observe how the order modifies pleasure and conversation. Reference artist(s): Erwin Wurm. The protocol Invite at least one other person. Prepare a…
Constraint of the Week: The Day in Verse
The Day in Verse, Constraint #66 For an entire day, answer every question in iambic pentameter… ten syllables. No exception. At the supermarket checkout too. Reference artist(s): Georges Perec. The protocol Brush up on iambic pentameter the night before: ten…
Sophie Calle, the Art of Following Others
In 1979, Sophie Calle follows a stranger in the street. She doesn’t know him. She won’t speak to him. She photographs him from a distance, notes his movements, reconstructs his day. When he disappears into the metro, she loses him……
Constraint of the Week: Eyes Everywhere
Eyes Everywhere, Constraint #65 Draw eyes on every round object in your home… stickers, sticky notes, dry-erase markers. Live for a week with this house that watches you. Reference artist(s): Agnès Varda. The protocol Walk around your home. Identify all…
Constraint of the Week: The Noise Kitchen
The Noise Kitchen, Constraint #64 Cook using only the sounds produced by utensils and ingredients as a musical score. Nothing else. Record the result. Reference artist(s): Luc Ferrari. The protocol Choose a recipe that involves varied gestures… cutting, beating, boiling,…
Constraint of the Week: The Album in the Dark
The Album in the Dark, Constraint #63 Choose an album you love. Turn everything off. Lie down. Listen to it in full, without interruption, to the last track. Reference artist(s): Nan Goldin. The protocol Choose an album… not a playlist,…
Constraint of the Week: The Word of the Day
The Word of the Day, Constraint #62 Pick a random word from a dictionary. Slip it naturally into every conversation throughout the day. Count how many times you succeed. Reference artist(s): Ben Vautier. The protocol In the morning, open a…