| Jim Haynes
(Mon, 06 Jan 2003): Within your ongoing body of work in performances,
recordings, books, etc., you continually make references to the
nomenclatures and symbols of power (kings, queens, nations, celebrities,
etc.). I would argue that your work critiques the histories of power
dynamics (or at least their public manifestations) through an absurd
gesture of self-appointment which you've spiked with black humor
and occasional silliness. Is this a fair assessment? If so, how
do you judge which object of power need to be questioned? Is all
power subject, or just certain public displays of it?
Leif Elggren (Wed, 08 Jan 2003): All power is self-appointed; it
is only a question of who have stipulated the rules. If you are
a highly ranked person in the present society you can manipulate
the rules for your own good and create the social structure under
or around you. For instance, Napoleon Bonaparte coronated himself.
Adolf Hitler manipulated himself to the highest position via threats
and violence. George W. Bush bought himself his position. Jesus
Christ was the most powerful of all because he was intelligent (or
smart) enough both to claim and to refer to a power that was beyond
our worldly life, an almighty spiritual power that was the ONLY
basic power in this universe that appointed him to his position
and gave him his task. This is a strategy that has always been used
by the successful collaboration of political power and religion.
In the question of power in this world, there is nothing that is
fair. Most people are oppressed and without any chance to fulfill
their dreams and longings or even to acquire a decent life. All
people are born with the same conditions as human beings; but the
political and economical situation in which you are born and by
whom gives you an inevitable starting point in this world. This
is not fair! No one could judge or have the power over another person
in this short and fragile life! But this is not, as we all know,
the situation. Therefore, we need to question all political and
economical power. A society that does not allow the possibility
to question its power is a dangerous society and it should be changed.
As an artist, you have a certain privilege that does not exist in
any other human discipline or profession. You can work with all
of the parameters that there are in this life. Nothing is out of
your range, and that gives you a special opportunity and of course
a responsibility. You are in the position to question the power
and you should be a pain in the ass of it! And as an artist it is
a responsibility to show people how to fulfill their dreams, to
show that everything is open and that we all have the access to
a good respectful life.
It is not silly, like a lunatic or an artist, to put a paper crown
on your head and claim yourself a king or whatever. It is totally
silly to put a crown of gold (or similar) on your head and claim
with military power that you are the ruler of this
world.
(Wed, 08 Jan 2003) Within his "Two Treatises of Government"
(1690), John Locke argued to refute the doctrine of the divine and
absolute right of the Monarch in order to establish a theory which
would reconcile the liberty of the citizen with political order.
Locke's argument based on the foundation that humanity was fundamentally
good was in direct conflict with the contemporary philosophies of
Thomas Hobbes who felt that without a social control (from government
to religion to etiquette) humanity would collapse into a morass
of self-serving interests. While Hobbes also accounted for an intrinsic
equality toward all of humanity as being born through the same conditions,
he argued that the laws of nature necessitated structures of power
where the Monarch was granted total authority by election of the
masses.
I mentioned these two not in order to enter a debate of political
theory, as I serious doubt that you would side with Hobbes who demanded
that dissenters of the status quo must submit to majority rule.
Yet, these two laid the groundwork for modern day democracy. Thus
my question to you is: what would the world look like if there were
no social order, self-appointed or otherwise?
(Thur, 09 Jan 2003) In the history of mankind, the apocalyptic versions
of our thinkable or dreamable future are widely more frequent than
the versions of a fruitful and a prospering future. That phenomenon
could possibly be a sort of reverse invocation, an attempt of letting
the horror take place now in our imagination instead of in the real
future (in vain?). We are always totally occupied with the image
(the question) of our future, of course because of fear of the only
true thing in life, death, that is the total horror. But, as Freud
said, what we are dealing with is not what is in front of us, it
is what is behind us, our experiences and memories and imaginations.
You asked me what would the world look like if there were no social
order, self-appointed or otherwise? And I must say that I do not
know at all and I will not try to paint an image of Utopia or whatever,
because so many have already done that. And that´s enough.
I would definitely not want to sketch a sort of dystopic version
either, as so many more people have done that already. And if I
did it would only be to reveal the limited version of my own private
fantasies locked up in the situation totally related to the past
and present. But I must say that I am really curious. I think it
is exciting. Every day is exciting! Our task in the present is to
create the conditions for the next step.
(Wed, 19 Feb 2003) It's interesting that you do not wish
to paint yet another image of Utopia, as I would see the Kingdom
of Elgaland / Vargaland as a manifestation of fantasy within the
realm of 'the real,' complete with a number of attributes that provide
all of the signs of a political system (i.e. constitution, passports,
flag, stamps, national anthem...). You, yourself, conceeded that
their might be parallels between KREV and the fabled Shangra-La
during an panel we were both on at the Activating The Medium festival.
Have I misinterpreted this project?
(Fri, 31 Dec 2004) No, not at all, you have not misinterpreted this
project. The KREV-project is in many ways a sort of utopian model
of how we can develope our longings for a better world. But I suppose
we do not give any answers or paint any images of how it can (or
should) be, but hopefully we give some certain tools, supply some
certain equipment that can be useful for our individual attitude
and might even make us a bit more braver in this life, in this existence
we have right now. You know, we have to be encouraged.
This place (the world) is so scary, I think most people believe
that the situation is even worse these days, as a potential catastrophe
behind the corner. The delicate structure that forms our human societies,
especially of course the Western world societies, is so fragile
that it remind us of our physical bodies, our inner incomprehensible
physical constitution. And we all do not know anything about that,
eeh? How it works. The inner. And of course likewise with the outer.
The best would be to stand still. To lay down. To close our eyes.
To try to eliminate time. And this is of course a motor. A motor
that are being fed by fear. That can motivate us to search for alternatives
and explanations and answers, etc.
(Thu, 4 Nov 2004) It is with a considerable amount of anger
at the American political system that I begin anew with the interview
that we began a while back. So I hope that the Sweden is treating
you better... to be honest, I'll admit my ignorance when it comes
the political history of Sweden. I had the ghastly realization when
I was traveling in Australia that most of the citizens in that part
of the world were very well informed of the American politics; but
in turn, I could not share any of my opinions on John Howard, other
than a generalized pessimism. It's quite sad that the strongest
nation in the world is so narcissistic that the US doesn't even
recognize who its supposed allies are. So I ask of you, how much
has the political history of Sweden impacted your work, and more
specifically how do you see the Kingdom of Elgaland-Vargaland in
the current political system?
(Fri, 31 Dec 2004) Glad for your mail. Thank you! Have been thinking
of you. But I am really sorry for my long silence. Have been traveling
so much during this autumn and very much exhausted when I was back
in the beginning of December. Have been resting a bit over the holidays.
But now totally frustrated, as everyone of course, over the catastrophe
in the Indian Ocean area. Mother Nature as the most cruelsome and
brutal force in this life. But as humans we are doing our best to
do even worse. Have been following the news reports via several
TV-channels about the devastating waves, through European channels
and through CNN and FOX News.
Interesting to notice that FOX News had a main report on the 29th
of December, the third day of the catastrophe, about Supermodel
Survival. An American young female model that still was down there
in the area. She was ok, she survived. They interviewed her friends
and relatives in the studio and showed photos on her posing in sexy
underwear. Supermodel Survival! When a news channel are holding
up a celebrity icon like that as the most important representative
person among the victims (especially when there are hundreds of
thousands dead) then I believe it is very easy to get really scared.
If you not are scared even before.
Who are those that will be rescued, that will be safe in the life
boat when the ship are sinking? A classic question in the human
society since the beginning of history. But these days we have a
chance (still) to talk about it, the fundamental injustice in this
world. I do not believe
much have changed over the thousands of years in this case. Even
if we are eager to convince ourselves and each other that everything
is much better now, more open and more fair for everyone. For everyone??
Maybe it is if you are lucky enough to be born in the right family
or in the right area. If you are not, you will be longing your whole
life for that. And will be carrying with you a deep feeling of unjustice.
And the worst; a feeling that everything is totally impossible to
change. Nothing can be more wrong! The situation can be totally
changed. But we need to be encouraged, we need to be encouraged
every day that it is possible to get a decent life. Getting a decent
life without beating the guys in the water with our oars. The power
has always wanted us to be passive. A passive citizen is a good
citizen. If you are on the lovest levels struggling to survive within
the ordinary daily life you become passive in a political way of
course. And if you are in the middle class area you have too much
to lose and are eager to go further, intoxicated by the success.
But the fear are always there, behind you, it is a question of never
turning around. Never look back, as it is said. If you look back
you will see those dead guys in the water. ? Nevertheless, without
our history in the rear mirror we are totally lost. Like our own
personal memories. I have always had that feeling that I am right
now (every moment a new NOW) the actual runner in a relay race.
A race started long time ago by my own relatives. One by one they
have done their part of the race, given the baton to the next guy,
etcetera, etcetera. I do not have so many relatives left alive,
they are dead most of them. But I can really feel them behind me,
how they spiritually are supporting me. I am the person in turn
right now, I have to run, with respect and responsibility. And I
have their power, their knowledge and energy with me. And I have
to take it. They are alive inside me. That's my mission, my task
to let this go further in a good way, in a proper way. I have to
do my best, with courage and as less hesitation as possible. We
only have this life, this period of time between birth and death.
You ask me about what impact the political history in Sweden might
have had on my work. And, yes, it is the same here as with our personal
history. We have our collective history and that is something that
gives us the roots back thousands of years. Unfortunately (but understandable)
it is always the history of the power and the celebrities. These
guys has always of course had the possibility to buy themselves
a place in history, buy themselves a place among the non forgotten.
(That's the main thing with it: To be loved and not forgotten.)
This is how it is and how it has been since the start and we have
to live with that. But nevertheless through the documentation of
history we can see, in the shadow of the power, movements. We can
imagine, in the more or less invisible, in the omitted, persons
and voices and occurences that also gives us information of the
human life over all. Information that can
encourage us to go on.
|
