for you

Comedy of hearing

Sing any song/melody in your mind.
Sing aloud (softly, to yourself) no more than one sound per half minute*.
Don’t lose the continuity of the sung melody.
One of the sounds can be sung for as long as possible.

(for instrumentalists)
Perform any musical piece in your mind.
Play aloud (softly, to yourself) no more than one sound per half minute*.
Don’t lose the continuity of the performed piece.
One of the sounds can be played until the end of the breath/bow/resonance.

Comedy of dancing

Dance in your mind.
Actually dance no more than one short gesture per half minute*.
Don’t lose the continuity of the imaginary dance.
Once, a longer complete gesture can be performed.

Comedy of reading

Read any text in your mind.
Annunciate (softly, to yourself) no more than one word per half minute*.
Don’t lose the continuity of the read text.
Once, a complete sentence can be pronounced.

Comedy of writing

Write any text in your mind.
Write on paper no more than one word per half minute*.
Don’t lose the continuity of the written text (leave unwritten the imaginary fragments of the text).
Once, a complete sentence can be written.

Comedy of painting

Paint any picture in your mind.
Actually paint no more than one stroke per half minute*.
Don’t lose the continuity of the painting process (each following actual stroke is not the continuation of the previous, it follows the logic of continuity of the imaginary process).
Once, a longer complete line can be painted.

Comedy of seeing

Watch your step (if moving) or close your eyes (if still).
Open/raise your eyes no longer than for a second, once per half minute*.
Once, during the performance, open/raise your eyes long enough to fix a certain image/event in the mind.

Comedy of touching

Wherever you are, in motion or being still.
Touch surfaces no longer than for a second, once per half minute*.
Once, during the performance, touch a surface long enough to feel its texture, temperature and other properties.

* The action can be performed at any moment within the half minute – closer to its beginning, end or in the middle; follow your inner feeling of time.
More instructions for other actions can be created. The instructions can be performed alone or by a group, indoors or out. In a concert situation, the instructions can be performed both by musicians/performers on stage and the spectators/audience in the concert hall.

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[Dmitri Kourliandski]
Composed for the Russian Pavilion
of the Venice Biennale 2017
Copyright © 2017 by
Stichting Donemus Beheer, Rijswijk
Featured image: Grisha Bruskin,
Scene Change (2017)