Ministry Blog

Foto: Skånska Dagbladet.
Gårdagens invigningshopp på Hållbarhetsveckan i Eslöv fanns med i Skånskan. Man kan läsa den lilla artikeln här.

Men oj, bara 20 i publiken? Det var nog lite snålt räknat av tidningen (eller så har dom skrivit fel - som vanligt). Fullt var det ju visserligen inte i A-hallen den kvällen, men jag skulle tippa på uppåt 60-70 i publiken. Hade en rätt bra utsikt över publiken från talar-stolen. Och när sedan vindkraftsdebatten satte igång lite senare på aftonen var det nog över 100 som samlats… (Bara för att sätta saker o ting i perspektiv).

Om man undrar över pappret som mannen i bakgrunden håller upp så var det en lista med grundläggande problem för ett Hållbart samhälle som Ministern listade på ett blädderblock under invigningstalet:
- Pencillinet
- Industrialismen
- Elström
- Sekulariseringen
- Vår stora hjärna
- Förstånd/ insikt (Vi är sluga, men inte lika smarta)
- Vår bekvämlighet
- Kvartalsrapporter

Återstår bara att lösa dom problemen, men utan att hamna på Medeltids-nivå igen helst kanske…

For over a year, a vital document at the Ministry has been missing, presumed lost. But today it was found by chance! It is the list over the protests collected in Uppsala at the jump in Fyrisån. The list from Uppsala contains some very interesting attitudes, very specific protests, both from a local and global point of view.

THE UPPSALA PROTESTS

The long uphill stretch to the Castle in Uppsala
Expensive parkings
No parkings for people living in the city
People who doesn’t like Art
The new motorway (E4) is too close
Bad language handling
The bad summer weather
That the socialdemocratic politicians say they won’t build a new skate-rink
Bad environmental judgement (for ex. flying to vacation)
People who walk slowly in narrow passages
Topless (Roof-less) Bus-stops
Kids that are in the way in shops
Population
Royal Weddings
The aversion against Public Art
Reduction of SU for students
Cold toes
Parents deaths
Cold rain
Fizzy water
Trash in the river
Shaved armpits
Michael Bolton

The Uppsala HopArt Jump

At the HopArt-jump the HopArt Protest-list had a few additions at the Saturday Jump in Eslövs Trollsjön (=Gremlin Lake, or Lake Troll… go figure…).

Cowardliness
Fear (before others)
Cold weather
School
Green apples
Too loud music
When others get more
Blood in your eye
Saturdays (as workdays, otherwise it’s a fine day)
Sunday anxiety
Bad planning
Bird shit (and all other pollutions too)
Greenhouse effect (on global scale, global warming - it’s OK in greenhouses)
Paprika
Red wine (white is OK)
Spiders
Football (soccer)
Idiots
Bad reeds (for saxophones in particular)
Ping-pong
Bikes that fall over (when you ride it)
Liquor
Cigarettes (and all other tobacco)
Sorrow
Money
Problems
Darkness
Siblings (the testing type)
Porridge
Mondays
Cotton Candy in your hair
The dirt that sits in toilets
Life
Death
Time
Bad songs
Irritable parents
Delays
Loss of toilets (when you need one)
икони

A couple of years ago (well, it was in 2002 to be exact) a fierce HopArt jump was made one late evening in Octobers deep. In the Malmö channel the Minister performs his HopArt from a bridge and the regional media Kvällsposten was there to cover the event. It was all made in the context of the yearly local “Gallerinatten” (Gallery Night) where all galleries and art-institutions in Malmö are open all night. It’s an evening when everybody is out! The jump was made from the bridge closeby the Fire Department and I had called them in advance to have them as back-up. It was a high drop into cold waters. “Of course” they said. We’ll be there. Come jump-night the bridge was jam-packed with people, but no Fire Department and no rescue vessel… What is an artist to do? Postpone? I don’t think so. I trampled out on the rickety nailed together in a haste jump-tower as the crowd chanted “jump, jump, jump”. To make a long story short - I jumped. And here’s the pic from the paper the following day.

Image credit: Ministry of Art & Jump. Minister suspended in mid Malmoe-air under the Admirals Bridge. Note the tip of the jump-tower plank (to the right in the picture), also note the rose in the breast pocket. A little good-luck present from a lady in the audience. I needed that…

The Minister of Art has been invited to go to Singapore. Let’s hope it will work out economically - it is such an invitation one cannot turn down! An international Performance gathering and group exhibition called “Gnothi Seauton” (Know thyself). We keep our virtual fingers crossed and hope for everything to come to place, and of course, still to confirm…

At Dunkers Culture House last Friday a performance/inauguration was made and it was a grand success. It was performed in a jam-packed Dunkers! A couple of hundred people filled the big exhibition hall to the last square inch. People in the back apparently couldn’t really see or hear all that was going on - which of course was a pity! The performance included the first official State visit by the Ladonian President. The Presidents had prepared a speech which was read by the State Secretary and The Minister of Art & Jump carried out the presentation of the President as well as playing the national anthem. Ministry security personnel also kept a guarding eye on things when a very valuable gift was presented to Dunkers.

The valuable gift a very rare drawing by Rosalba Carriera. (The friendly Security Guard from the Ministry of Art & Jump keeps an eye on things).

The HopArt jump in Ladonia last weekend. A special jump for the 30 years anniversary of Nimis!

In relation with the HopArt-jump in Ladonia yesterday some new protest was added to the list:

• Disturbing elements
• puddles (pools) of water
• sullen people
• lost wallets
• surveillance
• beer running out (or the suspicion thereof)
• weird signs
• too many different speed limits
• bad rubber bands
• malfunctional pens
• lack of brotherliness
• round-about driving according to EU
• VAT on dill
• (all too) short vacations
• difficult choices, especially too many (max 3 is desirable)
• the insignificant thickness of the earth crust (the eerie thinness)
• interrupters (people that interrupt conversations)
• cowardice (especially the lack of courage to stand up for one’s beliefs)
• too much anxiety

He came, he was seen, he jumped. What a wonderful day for an anniversary-jump. Ladonia was jam-packed today with tourists and the Glorious Green was waving proudly in the moderate wind! During the 4 hours we were there there was probably around 500 people. People tend to come and go the whole time, even if most of them only stay for an hour or so. Some stay longer of course. The event was filmed. Swedish Radio was there interviewing, papers was there, it was over all a rather big event.

After jump, suite needs drying after washing up. Image credit: Ministry of Art