Statements, Art Basel, 1997
The watercolour ‘page 1’ is first encountered as a reproduction printed in the exhibition catalogue where it includes four objects — L. I. F. and E — in disarray.
On the other side of the partition, opposite its reproduction, an actual watercolour ‘page 1’ is this time encountered with three of its objects now in order and one left in disarray.
[Catalogue reproduction of watercolour page 1 that includes all four objects: L. I. F. and E.]
Encyclopaedia of Order in Art
To put some order into this work of art and straighten three of the four objects L. I. F. E. in disarray below, simply follow these directions. Hold a pencil above the objects, close your eyes and think of what in your life you feel needs sorting out. Let your hand fall and select an object. Repeat twice. Open your eyes and note the time _______ and date _______ of this ordering. Take the first selected object, _____, and align it with the painting on page 27; the second object, _____, with the plinth; and the third object, _____, with the bookshelf. This leaves object ___ in disarray, a testimony to what is lost. The work of ordered art is now complete.
—– page 1 —-
[framed watercolour page 1 that, upon completion, leaves only object I.]
Encyclopaedia of Order in Art
To put some order into this work of art and straighten three of the four objects L. I. F. E. in disarray below, simply follow these directions. Hold a pencil above the objects, close your eyes and think of what in your life you feel needs sorting out. Let your hand fall and select an object. Repeat twice. Open your eyes and note the time 4:29pm and date Monday 27.1.97 of this ordering. Take the first selected object, F. , and align it with the painting on page 27; the second object, E. , with the plinth; and the third object, L. , with the bookshelf. This leaves object I. in disarray, a testimony to what is lost. The work of ordered art is now complete.
—– page 1 —-
**********
[The book – The Order of Looking]
THE ORDER OF LOOKING
CHAPTER L.
Published by
the Bureau of Looking
1997
———page 30———
THE ORDER OF LOOKING
CHAPTER L.
The Bureau of Looking has recently observed from latest statistics that not every part of a work of art is looked at.
To understand this phenomenon further, the Bureau has devised this book of a continuous red-watercolour line as a means by which to analyse whether any underlying pattern, or order, dictates which parts of the line are looked at and which parts are not.
The Bureau therefore asks for your assistance by limiting — or expanding — the parts of this line that you look at to 27, and to number each part, i.e. page, in the order seen (excluding, however, the pages previous to this one).
———page 32———
[following pages]
THE ORDER OF LOOKING
Looked at number: ___________
———page […]———
