AN OLYMPIAN STRETCH
An unbalanced tandem between Martha Rosler and Ben Morea
A PLAY
The frame is, indeed, the window through
which the painter looks at his model, and
nothing could be more offensively inartistic
than this brutal attempt to trust the model
on the hither-side of this window!
(Whistler)
The following transcription is of a palaver that took place between Martha Rosler, Ben Morea and an audience in lower Manhattan in January of 2012. The atmosphere of the city at the time was gushing with political ebullience that would soon wane.
CHARACTER MASKS:
MARTHA ROSLER
BEN MOREA
PAINTED MASKS:
ARCHITECT
GOAT-FOOTED BOY
OLD MAN
POPULIST
WOMAN WITH AN ACCENT
CHORUS OF PAINTED MASK, consists of 4 masks
WHITE MASKS:
ETERNAL STUDENT
OLDER MAN
PLOTINUS
SOCIAL DEMOCRAT
WOMAN WITHOUT AN ACCENT
CHORUSES:
CHORUS OF PAINTED MASK, consists of 4 masks
CHORUS OF WHITE MASK, consists of 6 masks
ACT ONE
SCENE I
Manhattan, NY. aerobics classroom, at the back of a gym.
[Attached to the stage is a side-by-side tandem exercise bicycle. Each set of the pedals is mechanically synchronized. The turn of one set will turn them both. In front of the bicycle is a long bench with its short end facing the front wheels. To the audience, the bicycle begins on the right with the bench perpendicular and almost in the center of the stage. The backstage is draped by a curtain and separates the room from the rest of the gym. There is one large window on the left side of the stage. Beside the window and visible to the audience is one simple chair. We can hear the rain outside.
The only light in the room flickers on and off. PLOTINUS is standing on top of the bench trying to fix the light above him. With the first flashes of the trembling light, we can see another figure. It is BEN MOREA sleeping on the right seat of the tandem bicycle.
The curtain, at the back of the stage, fills with a clumsy stir. Behind its folds someone, with a subdued exasperation, struggles to find the inlet. PLOTINUS slightly turns his head towards this movement. With the sound of ripping fabric MARTHA ROSLER wades into the room. She is wet from the rain and is noticeably peeved with the inclement weather and her trek in arriving. She takes off her nylon kerchief and raincoat and hangs them to dry on the chair at the back of the room. Underneath she appears to be wearing a tight deep blue jumpsuit. She proceeds to the centre of the room and in the same assured peeve puts both of her hands on the bench next to PLOTINUS while still standing, pressing her weight down to the bench to ensure PLOTINUS’ balance.
Shortly after MARTHA ROSLER more participants start to arrive. With a small interval three pairs of guests enter the room: first ARCHITECT with OLD MAN, then POPULIST with SOCIAL DEMOCRAT and finally WOMAN WITHOUT AN ACCENT along with GOAT-FOOTED BOY. SOCIAL DEMOCRAT volunteers for the role of concierge. He folds up and pulls on a side the curtain to make the subsequent entries easier. PLOTINUS, while still atop the bench, nods to him with a silent gratitude. Everyone is standing in the middle of the room, around the bench, waiting to be seated. A few remaining guests are arriving at last. OLDER MAN walks in and with an open smile proceeds to PLOTINUS. They shake hands. ETERNAL STUDENT, out of breath, runs in with some enormous grocery bags.
PLOTINUS manages to fix the light and descends to the floor. MARTHA ROSLER now walks towards the bicycle and not without difficulty climbs up next to a sleeping BEN MOREA.
PLOTINUS arranges the guests across the bench, straddled, one behind another in the following order: ARCHITECT, POPULIST behind him, then OLD MAN, WOMAN WITHOUT AN ACCENT, OLDER MAN, SOCIAL DEMOCRAT, ETERNAL STUDENT and GOAT-FOOTED BOY at the very end.
The audience quiets. PLOTINUS hands MARTHA ROSLER a remote control. At the same time the curtain parts and WOMAN WITH AN ACCENT walks in on her tippy toes. She takes a seat on the bench right in front of ARCHITECT and as such becomes the first one in the row. Everyone is forced to squeeze tighter and GOAT-FOOTED BOY scarcely holds on to his position.
MARTHA ROSLER pushes a button on the remote control - nothing happens. MARTHA ROSLER fumbles for a few seconds. Abruptly the sound of Mario Savio speaking at a student rally at UC Berkeley in 1964 fills the room. While the sound plays, MARTHA ROSLER still struggles to figure out buttons on the remote control and accidentally pushes one. Now it is playing J.R. Oppenheimer speaking about the atomic bomb. POPULIST fidgets in his seat. CHORUS OF PAINTED MASK sneaks through the curtain into the room and settles in a relaxed pose on the floor aside the bench and across from the tandem bicycle. MARTHA ROSLER pauses the sound.]
MARTHA ROSLER: [in a raspy voice]: We can talk or do you want to see more images?
PLOTINUS: But didn’t you prepare something? […]
An unbalanced tandem between Martha Rosler and Ben Morea
A PLAY
The frame is, indeed, the window through
which the painter looks at his model, and
nothing could be more offensively inartistic
than this brutal attempt to trust the model
on the hither-side of this window!
(Whistler)
The following transcription is of a palaver that took place between Martha Rosler, Ben Morea and an audience in lower Manhattan in January of 2012. The atmosphere of the city at the time was gushing with political ebullience that would soon wane.
CHARACTER MASKS:
MARTHA ROSLER
BEN MOREA
PAINTED MASKS:
ARCHITECT
GOAT-FOOTED BOY
OLD MAN
POPULIST
WOMAN WITH AN ACCENT
CHORUS OF PAINTED MASK, consists of 4 masks
WHITE MASKS:
ETERNAL STUDENT
OLDER MAN
PLOTINUS
SOCIAL DEMOCRAT
WOMAN WITHOUT AN ACCENT
CHORUSES:
CHORUS OF PAINTED MASK, consists of 4 masks
CHORUS OF WHITE MASK, consists of 6 masks
ACT ONE
SCENE I
Manhattan, NY. aerobics classroom, at the back of a gym.
[Attached to the stage is a side-by-side tandem exercise bicycle. Each set of the pedals is mechanically synchronized. The turn of one set will turn them both. In front of the bicycle is a long bench with its short end facing the front wheels. To the audience, the bicycle begins on the right with the bench perpendicular and almost in the center of the stage. The backstage is draped by a curtain and separates the room from the rest of the gym. There is one large window on the left side of the stage. Beside the window and visible to the audience is one simple chair. We can hear the rain outside.
The only light in the room flickers on and off. PLOTINUS is standing on top of the bench trying to fix the light above him. With the first flashes of the trembling light, we can see another figure. It is BEN MOREA sleeping on the right seat of the tandem bicycle.
The curtain, at the back of the stage, fills with a clumsy stir. Behind its folds someone, with a subdued exasperation, struggles to find the inlet. PLOTINUS slightly turns his head towards this movement. With the sound of ripping fabric MARTHA ROSLER wades into the room. She is wet from the rain and is noticeably peeved with the inclement weather and her trek in arriving. She takes off her nylon kerchief and raincoat and hangs them to dry on the chair at the back of the room. Underneath she appears to be wearing a tight deep blue jumpsuit. She proceeds to the centre of the room and in the same assured peeve puts both of her hands on the bench next to PLOTINUS while still standing, pressing her weight down to the bench to ensure PLOTINUS’ balance.
Shortly after MARTHA ROSLER more participants start to arrive. With a small interval three pairs of guests enter the room: first ARCHITECT with OLD MAN, then POPULIST with SOCIAL DEMOCRAT and finally WOMAN WITHOUT AN ACCENT along with GOAT-FOOTED BOY. SOCIAL DEMOCRAT volunteers for the role of concierge. He folds up and pulls on a side the curtain to make the subsequent entries easier. PLOTINUS, while still atop the bench, nods to him with a silent gratitude. Everyone is standing in the middle of the room, around the bench, waiting to be seated. A few remaining guests are arriving at last. OLDER MAN walks in and with an open smile proceeds to PLOTINUS. They shake hands. ETERNAL STUDENT, out of breath, runs in with some enormous grocery bags.
PLOTINUS manages to fix the light and descends to the floor. MARTHA ROSLER now walks towards the bicycle and not without difficulty climbs up next to a sleeping BEN MOREA.
PLOTINUS arranges the guests across the bench, straddled, one behind another in the following order: ARCHITECT, POPULIST behind him, then OLD MAN, WOMAN WITHOUT AN ACCENT, OLDER MAN, SOCIAL DEMOCRAT, ETERNAL STUDENT and GOAT-FOOTED BOY at the very end.
The audience quiets. PLOTINUS hands MARTHA ROSLER a remote control. At the same time the curtain parts and WOMAN WITH AN ACCENT walks in on her tippy toes. She takes a seat on the bench right in front of ARCHITECT and as such becomes the first one in the row. Everyone is forced to squeeze tighter and GOAT-FOOTED BOY scarcely holds on to his position.
MARTHA ROSLER pushes a button on the remote control - nothing happens. MARTHA ROSLER fumbles for a few seconds. Abruptly the sound of Mario Savio speaking at a student rally at UC Berkeley in 1964 fills the room. While the sound plays, MARTHA ROSLER still struggles to figure out buttons on the remote control and accidentally pushes one. Now it is playing J.R. Oppenheimer speaking about the atomic bomb. POPULIST fidgets in his seat. CHORUS OF PAINTED MASK sneaks through the curtain into the room and settles in a relaxed pose on the floor aside the bench and across from the tandem bicycle. MARTHA ROSLER pauses the sound.]
MARTHA ROSLER: [in a raspy voice]: We can talk or do you want to see more images?
PLOTINUS: But didn’t you prepare something? […]
