bona park

There is an artist who has her studio in the building opposite where you are standing now. I respect the artist a lot. Yes, she is such an amazing artist, very inspiring and hardworking. However, she believes that she is not ready to show her work to the world yet. It is a real pity that even though she is such a great artist, she decided not to participate in this brilliant Goldsmiths MFA degree show. However, for the greater good of the art world, I feel like I have to introduce a little bit about her and her work to you here at this moment. As she does not want to reveal herself yet, I cannot give you her real name. Let's call her just X.

X works in her studio everyday from 8 am to 9 pm. This is thirteen hours, more than half a day. X has same routine even on weekends. X cannot remember when her last vacation was. Well, of course, she sometimes dreams of a wonderful vacation on a sandy beach in Spain. However, X thinks that it is not the right time yet. She knows she can have a fantastic time, as much time as she wants, after being a famous artist. X usually skips her lunch to save more time to work. Instead of a proper lunch, she often chews gum, which contains vitamin C and minerals. Yes, as you can guess, X also drinks a very small amount of water not to waste her time by going to the toilet.
X's work is very political. It is sharply critical of the Spectacle, Capitalism. It is presented through a very contemporary equivalent. I mean, X's work has a nice balance between pop culture and contemporary art. It reflects daily life and actively engages the audience. What X is doing is basically making small boxes from a large paper box, which was used as a container for a large refrigerator. X wants to make 13 thousand tiny boxes, which all together weigh exactly the same as the large box. In order to do this, X cannot lose a single tiny particle from the big box and also cannot add any kind of material like glue or pins. What X does is rub at the big box with a nail chisel, which has a bent edge to collect all the sawdust from the box, and spits on the sawdust to make it sticky. Here, X is really careful not to blow the sawdust away, so, she must control her breathing. X can breath only once a minute, which is 4 times less than normal breathing. When the sawdust achieves the correct level of stickiness, X can make a tiny box out of it with small silver tweezers, which have a yellow rubber-coated end. The process for each box takes about a month. Yes, I know. It is unbelievably a delicate work, which requires X's sweat and tears. However, X does not mind sacrificing everything for her artwork.

Isn't X amazing? As I said, isn't it shame that X is not in this show? Fortunately, her studio is in the building opposite where you are standing now. I am sure, if you are lucky, you might see her breath-taking work. Come closer to the desk. You have to look up through the middle window at the top. Yes, the small window that is open. Put your hand on the desk. It will help you to look up through the window.