{"id":968,"date":"2011-07-13T08:18:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-13T08:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/?p=968"},"modified":"2023-08-08T11:45:06","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T11:45:06","slug":"while-guy-debord-sleeps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/index.php\/2011\/07\/13\/while-guy-debord-sleeps\/","title":{"rendered":"While Guy Debord sleeps"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"968\" class=\"elementor elementor-968\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fe00b8a elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-content-top elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fe00b8a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4659c6f9\" data-id=\"4659c6f9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb0c909 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"eb0c909\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c6f8d77 carouseljustified elementor-arrows-position-inside elementor-pagination-position-outside elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-carousel\" data-id=\"c6f8d77\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;slides_to_show&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;navigation&quot;:&quot;both&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_hover&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_interaction&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;autoplay_speed&quot;:5000,&quot;infinite&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;effect&quot;:&quot;slide&quot;,&quot;speed&quot;:500}\" data-widget_type=\"image-carousel.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-carousel-wrapper swiper\" role=\"region\" aria-roledescription=\"carousel\" aria-label=\"Image Carousel\" dir=\"ltr\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-carousel swiper-wrapper\" aria-live=\"off\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"1 of 1\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/guy.jpg\" alt=\"guy\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6708cb22 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6708cb22\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">While Guy Debord sleeps\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-375d494 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"375d494\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-description\"><div class=\"field field-name-field-description field-type-text field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\"><div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-description\"><div class=\"field field-name-field-description field-type-text field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\"><div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-description\"><div class=\"field field-name-field-description field-type-text field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\"><div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-description\"><div class=\"field field-name-field-description field-type-text field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\">collages, electricity cuts, candles, 2011<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-body\"><div class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a9cb684 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a9cb684\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This work was commissioned by the Thessaloniki Biennial which took place in\u00a0June 2011.\u00a0After I got invited to visit Thessaloniki a few months ahead of the show in order to develop a work for the biennial, here was my response:<\/p><p>Focusing on the non-materiality of production reflecting the current economical situation, and the growing ecological problems caused by human movement and the modern society I decided not to go to Thessaloniki.<\/p><p>Instead two assistants would help me figure out the situation while I am in a different part of the world.<\/p><p>My first idea is (still roughly speaking at this level):<\/p><p>Cutting daily for half an hour the electrical courant in the monumental and Historical building Jeni. According to more precise information, it would be more clear to me when we should cut the electricity there and how and for how long.<\/p><p>It would be interesting if according to the opening hours of the show, it\u2019s still possible for instance to do that some ten minutes before sunsets and till ten minutes after sun sets.<\/p><p>This idea roughly speaking reflects on the growing problems of infrastructure and chaos across the Mediterranean countries. In Lebanon for instance and in Beirut, where my studio is located, nearby the Beirut harbor, electricity cuts three hours a day. This is considered OK to compare to more remount areas and towns and villages where sometimes there is no electricity for 23 hours a day.<\/p><p>The Syrian regime is cutting electricity and water in cities for weeks to punish the demonstrators, thus leaving families and children without electricity access nor water access for long periods.<\/p><p>In jails, water and electricity are often used as torture techniques. Either an excess of electricity injections in the bodies of the tortured or banning them from drinking water and washing for instance. How about the electricity issue in Thessaloniki and Greece and over the centuries up until now?\u00a0<\/p><p>In addition to cutting the electricity for a certain time daily, I plan to make a number of drawings using black ink and burning techniques on white paper and hang them on one of the walls in an isolated spot in the building, and only when the electricity is cut, people can look at the drawings by candlelight. However, it\u2019s not possible to see these drawings when the electricity is there; a door or some isolation could help keeping them hiding when there is electricity in the building. The drawings are indirect allusions to electricity problems in the area, and how it is used and or misused in jails and in cities of the Mediterranean area and in Thessaloniki itself.\u00a0<\/p><p>The title for the work \u201cWhile Guy Debord Sleeps\u201d hints in an ironical way to the fact that Debord was insomniac, because of often drinking too much.<\/p><p>Cutting electricity as a reaction on the current situation, is in a \u201cDeborian way\u201d somehow linked to insomnia as well: alcoholics become insomniacs, and people who have many worries, people living in troubled areas easily become insomniacs. If electricity is gone, the easiest is to sleep. But the effect is often the opposite of that, and could be one more reason to generate insomnia and perhaps even to endure a dark night but with a possible certain secret joy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While Guy Debord sleeps collages, electricity cuts, candles, 2011\u00a0 This work was commissioned by the Thessaloniki Biennial which took place in\u00a0June 2011.\u00a0After I got invited to visit Thessaloniki a few months ahead of the show in order to develop a work for the biennial, here was my response: Focusing on the non-materiality of production reflecting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":969,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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