Went Out For Cigarettes And Never Came Back — Albergo Rosa

Installation and performance in collaboration with Maximiliaan Royakkers. Open Day, Sandberg Instituut, Amsterdam, 2014


“Whenever I see the alcove  of a tastefully built Japanese room, I marvel at our comprehension of
the secrets of shadows, our sensitive use of shadow and  light. For the beauty  of the alcove  is not the work of some clever device.  An empty space is marked  off with plain wood  and  plain walls, so that the light drawn into its forms dim shadows within emptiness.  There is nothing more. And yet, when we gaze into the darkness  that gathers  behind  the crossbeam, around the flower vase,  beneath the shelves, though we know perfectly well it is mere shadow, we are  overcome  with the feeling that in this small corner of the atmosphere there reigns complete  and  utter silence; that here in the darkness immutable tranquility holds sway.”

^{―  Junichiro Tanizaki,  In Praise of Shadows}


ACT 1 
‘TO PART’

EXT. STANDARD  GAS STATION, SOMEWHERE IN THE WEST,  DAY.

Ed walks over to Pepper who is standing on the sidewalk by the gas station.

PEPPER:
I dont understand what happened, one minute it is perfectly fine, the next its gone. I could say that it was just an old stupid kiosk, but it almost feels like I don’t have a purpose anymore.

ED:
I know what you mean, it was so much more than a just a kiosk. I remember the traces that was on the wall behind  the counter, the badly cut shelf where you stored the coffee, and the door to the backroom that would never close properly.

PEPPER:
Now everything is scattered around, floorboards, wallboards, doors,  windows,  its like they never belonged together. Its funny how the way you asume things to be can change just like that.

ED :
I remember the day you told me that you were thinking about  starting a little kiosk, and if I wanted to join. I thought it was a great idea and we went down to the crossing where you had pictured it to be. We search for hours to find the ideal  spot together, finally agreed on a placement we both found absolutely perfect-hidden  enough so as not be to overwhelmed by the noise from the traffic, and  visible enough for people to see, and drop by.

PEPPER:
I remember getting tools and materials like it was yesterday, I couldn’t wait to start building. We  would spend every spare minute on the site, talking, building,  eating, laughing...

[...]


albergorosa