NOW - 29.08.2008
29. 08. 2008, 00:10 | by DEREVO
Annual three days long exercise “Hello, School!”
During these three days you shouldn’t watch TV, listen to radio, read any newspapers. Avoid a computer. Better do it alone and silent.
It takes place at the end of August.
Ideally on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Friday
Throwing away things and moving furniture
Right in the morning or after your work all the clothes, shoes, linen, towels, dishes, old crèmes and pastes, anything concerning your body must be thrown out of the cupboards and drawers. Also books, letters and photographs, music, quite everything…
Just make a big pile to throw away this later but now just leave it as it is. At the same time try to move a furniture (particularly important a bed) from their usual positions. There must be a real mess in the house. You must go into rage and have no mercy for any valuables, just put them separately to leave later on the street.
You can sort your things in three categories:
- Instrument
- Weapon
- Ballast
As an example:
Good gloves keep my fingers safe – an instrument
My saxophone – a weapon
A poster with Parker in the toilet – a ballast.
It is very important to leave some talismans and religious symbols behind. For instance the stone bringing you back to the seashore trip as you were a child…
Go for a walk. Don’t eat or drink anything.
Return to your house or flat, take a shower, stand in the very centre of the mess, better naked, and do the “Compass” exercise.
Sleep with the windows open wide.
Saturday
Cleaning
Wake up without your alarm-clock and enjoy the mess.
Start to wash the windows curtains while packing and bringing out the whole litter.
“Valuable” things just leave next to the container and be glad how fast they’re disappearing.
Start the cleaning from the ceiling and windows. No hackwork!
The last is your doormat.
If it’s possible remove the doors between the adjacent rooms and make one room empty. Keep it in this state as long as possible.
Call your friends and make a supper in the empty room.
Sunday
Go for a walk but use an unusual route. Start to make a kim-chi (buy the ingredients prior to the exercise). It is nice to do it together with your friend.
Good luck!
Newbie in the school!!!
“Compass”, DEREVO’s exercise.
Takes at least 30 minutes. Performed in standing.
Windows are tightly shut. Complete darkness. Minimal noise, minimal clothing.
Relax and feel your entire skin surface. Very important is the skin on the back.
Lay down the radio in the middle of the room, loudspeakers on top. Find that hissing noise between the waves. Not too loud, just to damp the noise from outside. Try to reach the state when you can’t distinguish where the window is.
Eyes are shut.
Start the slow rotation clockwise and then counter clockwise, bending your head to the left and to the right. Extend your perception until you feel as you were alone on the planet, in the universe. Leave the closest disturbances like a neighbour’s energy, different temperature of in- and exhalation out of your attention.
Your body will find only one comfortable position between West-East-South-and-North. It depends on your birth date, sign and so on. You may guess about the rest.
Remain in the found position for a while. Then turn around in 90 degrees. Compare the sensation. The difference is enormous. Turn back to the previous position. Turn around in 180 degrees. The difference is negligible. It’s a question of your spine’s excitation. Go back to the found position again. Open your eyes, remember the direction.
Put your bed in a way to sleep with your head in this direction.
Good luck!
Text: Anton Adasinsky
Photo: Elena Yarovaya
Photo design: Elena Yarovaya