NARRATOR:

The year is 2020. Lukavac is abandoned, forgotten. Bosnia and Herzegovina is fragmented. Sarajevo has declared independence as a city – state. The government is preserved on a life support system under the finances and administration of the neighboring EU which is de-facto running the country from Sarajevo in accordance with their interests.

Banja Luka has been devoured by an earthquake whose center was in Lukavac.

The country is transversed by fast interstates, rail lines and power lines that carry the goods, the energy and the tourists over the country to the sea, protecting them from the wilderness below that has claimed back any traces of urbanity that were left in the landscape.

All the industry is dead, all the businesses have failed, all the infrastructure is ruined all that hasn’t to do with electric energy production is obsolete.

BH is producing 30% of the regions electric energy.

The administrative rulers of Sarajevo are not interested in re-structuring. The have turned away from the pleads of the forgotten population whose livelihoods have been taken. They have simply denied them access. The roads have been dug up and the bridges destroyed, there is a special tax for entering the city for non/residents, a tax that only a few can afford.

Freedom of movement is limited, the communications are weak and apathy is has set in.

For Travel in the Box 2, I collaborated with good friends and talented poets. They wrote for me.

It seems important to post as much as possible about this project on this blog because, if you remember how we started in 2007 / it was because of this project. Older posts map the development of the idea of Travel in the Box piece.

Soon the “Read More” journal will come out with texts by November Paynter and Timothy A. Weeks. This journal is an online publication published by Horsecross. It is funny that the texts in it will relate to my work that was shown in 2007 in Threshold, Perth. By now my piece has significantly developed – still I am not sure that this is the end of the line.

I cannot consider this project finalized. I think that this project should somehow be taken out of the field of visual. I should develop it into a proper collection of contemporary Bosnian and Herzegovinian and  have it exhisiting only in the form of a book and a reading – where the reading can be as thetrical it wants to be.

Starting the new faze  of the project are the specially written poems by some of the most talented young poets from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The poems have already been compiled in a limited edition of artists books, and have been performed in Ljubljana. As promised in a previous post, I am publishing the poems here in their original and in our own English translation.

Mantra – Marko Tomaš

Traveling through cities we’ve reached the last – Mehmed Begić

traveling to a Fine Land – Andreja Dugandžić

The Box – Ivona Jukić

Travel in Box – Lala Raščić

MANTRA

Dobro je, dobro je
Dišem bezolovni zrak
Dobro je, dobro je
Ja sam usamljeni Noah
Dobro je, dobro je
Zid od soli je slan i mokar
Dobro je, dobro je
Posljednji čovjek na posljednjem putovanju
Dobro je, dobro je
U budućnosti ću postati fotografija
Dobro je, dobro je
Neko će pisati red po red kako je dobro
Dobro je, dobro je
Čovjek se lako spakira za put
Dobro je, dobro je
Neke kafane se zatvaraju kasno
Dobro je, dobro je
Ljudi su pijani i muzika loša
Dobro je, dobro je
Cigarete pomažu da održiš svoj cool
Dobro je, dobro je
Odgađam živčani slom
Dobro je, dobro je
Pišem mantru kako je dobro
Dobro je, dobro je
Jutarnja afirmacija za budiste početnike
Dobro je, dobro je
Kad obrišeš paru s ogledala i vidiš poznato lice

Dobro je, dobro je
Kao stara dobra vremena
Dobro je, dobro je
Što nisi upoznat s vlastitom sudbinom
Dobro je, dobro je
Što zaborav progresivno raste kako stariš
Dobro je, dobro je
Zamisli da si četka za odijelo putujućeg trgovca
Dobro je, dobro je
Zamisli da si životno djelo ratnog zločinca
Dobro je, dobro je
Zamisli kako bi bilo da nije ovako dobro
Dobro je, dobro je
Vidiš kako su propali šeširdžija i krojač
Dobro je, dobro je
Sad si na putu
Dobro je, dobro je
Sad si na dalekom putu
Dobro je, dobro je
Sad si između dvije obale
Dva kontinenta
Dvije istorije
Dobro je, dobro je, dobro
Sad si između dvije čežnje
Dobro je, dobro je
Sad si na putu
Sad si na putu
Sad si na dalekom putu

MANTRA

It’s good, it’s good
I breathe unleaded air
It’s good, it’s good
I’m the lonesone Noah
It’s good, it’s good
The wall is made of salt it’s salty and wet
It’s good, it’s good
A final man on a final journey
It’s good, it’s good
In the future I am a photograph
It’s good, it’s good
Line by line someone writes about how good it is
It’s good, it’s good
It’s easy to pack
It’s good, it’s good
Some bars stay open late
It’s good, it’s good
Everybody is drunk and the music is bad
It’s good, it’s good
Cigarettes help you keep your cool
It’s good, it’s good
I postpone a nervous breakdown
It’s good, it’s good
I’m writing a mantra of how good it is
It’s good, it’s good
A good morning affirmation for the buddhist novice
It’s good, it’s good
To wipe the steam off a mirror and see a farmilar face

It’s good, it’s good
Like the good ole’ times
It’s good, it’s good
Not to know your destiny
It’s good, it’s good
Oblivion grows with time
It’s good, it’s good
Imagine you are a clothes brush of a travelling salesman
It’s good, it’s good
Imagine you are a war crimnal’s life achievement
It’s good, it’s good
Imagine it wasn’t this good
It’s good, it’s good
You see how the hatmaker and the tailor got ruined
It’s good, it’s good
You are on a journey
It’s good, it’s good
You are on a long journey
It’s good, it’s good
You are now between two shores
Two continents
Two histories
It’s good, it’s good, it’s all good
You are now  between two desires
It’s good, it’s good
You are on a journey
You are on a journey
You are on a long journey

Marko Tomaš, 2009

PROLAZEĆI KROZ GRADOVE
DOŠLI SMO DO POSLJEDNJEG

U redu je, prolazeći gradove
došli smo do posljednjeg
Trajalo je jedan život
i to je bilo previše
U blizini nema nikoga -
samo glas koji govori
i onaj koji ga sluša,
zatim jednom
pa onda drugom nogom
izlazi iz kutije
Unaokolo samo tišine
Svaka nova
govori jače od prethodne
- koraci su jedini putokazi
a poslije mraka dolazi sloboda
Tražiš je iako znaš da ne postoji
Ona je iluzija
poput ljubavi koja obećava
i ti ne možeš da se ne raduješ
Slušaš glas,
ponavljaš: U redu je
nisu ove lomače zbog tebe
I to što su gradili ispod prozora
nisu vješala
Koliko god da te čekaju
pustinje tuđih misli više ne plaše
Izađi i nasmij se
Ispred tebe su ulice
Zagrli prvog koga sretneš
Reci Jebi se Volim te
Smjesti osmijeh
na taj dlan
kojim brišeš daljine
i produži dalje
ne osvrćući se
sanjajući
kako te još uvijek budim
sa prozora pjesme
da nastaviš putovanje

TRAVELLING THROUGH CITIES
WE’VE REACHED THE LAST

It’s all right, traveling through cites
we’ve reached the last
It took a lifetime
and that was too much
Nothing around -
except a voice
and the one listening,
and then with one
and then the other leg
steps out of the box
Only silences around
every new one
speaks louder than the one before
- footsteps are the only signals
after dark freedom comes
You search for her knowing she doesn’t exist
she is an illusion
like a promise of love
and you can’t help but rejoice
You listen to the voice
you repeat: it’s all right
these pyres are not for you
and what they built beneath your windows
they are not gallows
However they wait on you
the deserts of their thoughts do not frighten
Step outside and smile
Streets are in front of you
Wrap your arms around the first you meet
Say Fuck you I love you
Place a smile on
the palm of your hand
swipe the frontier
and continue
don’t look back
dream
that I’m still waking with you
with a window of a song
to continue the journey

Mehmed Begić, 2009.

putujem u Dobru zemlju

Došla je noć.
Ne idem nikud.
Dobra zemlja to si ti.
Tvoje ruke
U njoj.

Nisam žedna.
nisam gladna.
mogu biti parket
polica ili zid
Fiksirana.
Sama po sebi

U ovoj spavaćoj sobi
I primaćoj sobi
Ovo sada,
to je moja kuća.

toplim jezikom
oblizujem svoja
meka usta
U gaćicama gladni svemir.
jagodice titraju
u iščekivanju.
biti vlastita.

Treba iznajmiti stan,
mlada zaposlena žena traži
jednosoban stan
S centralnim grijanjem
Nema okupljanja ni dovođenja!

Zamisli kakvu bi kosu imala naša kćer.

Dobro jutro ljubavi
Kakav je to samo san bio
Vičeš iz kuhinje
Sin ti trčkara oko nogu
Nešto mi pripravljate.
Ja. Meni? On.

Nepotrebna,
niko i ništa,
Neoperativna,
Neproduktivna,
Nespremna.
Polu-pečena,
Impotentna!
Neiskorištena,
Neformirana
Ne-reformirana.
Neformatirana

Treba biti sama.
U kutiji u slovima
U dlanovima.
U 19.58.
Ti nisi kao cijeli svijet

Nedorasla
Niškorist
Amorfna.
Nepripravljena
Neuglađena.
Nedozrela .
Prosta.
Neuspjela

Jedan dva tri
Prsti u seskačvinu
Stopala u nigeriji
stidnica mi jaše ekvator.

Embrionalna.
Džaba joj.

Moje vrijeme za sve.
Za zajebat cijeli božji dan.
I sad nemam više šta
Stanem i zamislim se.
Sad će jesen.
Svježe doba.
Obojeno našim
rođendanima.

traveling to a Fine land

night has come.
I’m not going anywhere
Fine land – that is you.
Your hands in within it.

I’m not thirsty
I’m not hungry.
I could be wood,
A shelf or a wall.
Mounted
By itself.

in this bedroom
and this living room
this now,
is my home.

warm tongue
over soft lips
pants, a hungry universe
ends of fingers quiver
from waiting.
To own myself

I should  find a place
Young employed woman
looking  for one-bedroom
apartment with central heating
No guests or gatherings!

Can you imagine our daughters’ hair

Good morning love
What a dream I had
I hear you from the kitchen
Your son about your feet
Two of you prepare something for me.
Me.for me?He.

Unnecessary
A nothing
Inoperative
Unproductive
unprepared
half-baked.
Impotent!
Unused
Unformed
Unreformed
Unformatted

I should be alone
In a box, in letters
In palms
at 7.58 pm
You are not like the rest of the world

inept
good for nothing
amorphous
untrained
rugged
unripe
Crude
futile

one two three
fingers in Saskatchewan
feet in Nigeria
crotch on the Equator

Embryonic.
In vain

My time for everything.
To fuck up an)entire god damn day.
And now, nothing’s left
I stop and ponder .
Autumn is coming
A frigid season
Tinted by our
Birthdays.

Andreja Dugandžić, 2009.

KUTIJA

Prihvatam sopstvenu ruku spasenja.
Pretvaram sebe u predmet koji je dostojniji
putovanja od samog ljudskog bića.
Zatvaram poklopac.
Postajem odlazak.
Smirujem dah kako ga ne bih usput izgubio.
Mislim na dan
noć
podne
jutro
i na sate
čije je postojanje ovdje nebitno.
Jer vrijeme je suzbijeno sa mnom
u tom jedinom prostoru,
jedini koji će biti stvaran toliko sati.
Sekundi.
Jedinica vremena.
Vjerujem u to da ću nakon svega ugledati
ono što premašuje riječi koje koristimo
kada se tek nevješto izražavamo o
Slobodi.
Ovo je put među zidovima
od sapunice,
od drveta,
od svijeta.
Zar je uopše bitno?
Ironija mi navire u talasu zagušljivosti
kada shvatim da idem ka slobodi
zarobljeniji nego ikada.

The Box

I accept my own hand of salvation
And transform into an object more worthy
of travel than being.
I close the lid
and become the departure.
I hold my breath so I don’t lose it .
I’m thinking of the day
Night
Noon
Morning
And the hours
Whose existence is now irrelevant, here.
For time is trapped with me
In that only space,
The only one that exists for those couple of hours.
Seconds.
Measures of time.
I believe that after everything, I’ll see
That which soars above the words we say
When we speak so incompetently about
Freedom.
This is a hall between walls
of bubbles
of Wood
of the world.
Does it even matter?
Irony is seeps down on me in a wave of sultriness
When I realize I’m walking towards freedom
Less free than ever.

Ivona Jukić, 2009.

Travel in Box

Waking up from a nightmare with a pain in the neck.
Trying hard to lift head, instead
bump it against the side of the box.
Cramped enough to remember that
I’m in a box.
I am in a box.

Can’t readjust my position.
No sounds. The coast is clear.
With numb hands I bang sides.
Which way is up?

Muted thuds and a frightening thought:
I am on the bottom of a pile of crates.
Which way is up?
Gasping for breath: What was I thinking?

Which way is up?
Which way is out?

Used up all air.
While still, neck is fine.
The right arm is totally numb.
Lost control of arm and situation.
Patience leads to wild thoughts: I am buried alive.

Remember being lifted,
forklift, being dropped, banged, cursing at Jo.
Knee hurt , neck hurting, box got turned upside down
Those guys sat on it.

They treated me like cargo, remembering:
I am cargo.
I am cargo.

Strange no feeling of motion.

There was a van, a truck, and my still smelling like fish.
Then a long silence.

Have to relax.
Relax until I get THERE.

Thirsty, thirsty. Keep entertained.
Why does this mobile phone keep dying away?
Turn it on to kill time.
No coverage. Still.
Turn it off to kill time.

Where am I?
Falling asleep or fainting for lack of oxygen.

Remember waking, body is totally numb. Trying to move.

Why is this box so tight?

Felt much better before.

Should have made it bigger.

The padding was a good idea.
It was Jo’s idea. He thought this was a stupid idea.

Remember him saying: this is a stupid idea.
I’ll send him a postcard when I get THERE.

Trying to move, must move, need to move.

Hearing hissing, it’s shaking, it’s cold.

Must be airborne. Missed my first take off.

Just like everything else.

Don’t care, with last strength unlatch the roof of box,

can lift lid, movement feels air, my arm is stretched.

Stretch legs, other limbs, lift stiff body out of box.

Stand straight in the belly of cargo jet, boy.

Phone is off again.
Turn it off to buy time, turn it on to kill time.
Use light to see.

Stowaways and dry goods.

And then: Standing straight in the belly of a cargo jet,

a satisfying feeling of being lost overcomes me.

Destination becomes unimportant.

Finally I discover this is where nowhereness is!

If I knew it was this easy

would have done it before, thinking, thrill of escape,

satisfied with knowing I’m the one that got away.

Should have hijacked that rig

I slapped of to Timbuktu the other day!

Soon I’ll be home. Jo knew I was in trouble.
That’s why he helped me.
If he knew it was like this he’d have come easily.

Know this sound from movies.

It’s the gears of the airplane wheels.
The destination, it suddenly appears.

Better get back in my box.

Lala Raščić 2007/ 2009.

Even though I have been informed that Google research is no research at all, I stand behind my opinion that it is. A solid base for furthering the field of knowledge – at the least. I know that many publications haven’t gone digital and that much of the information is kept for members and subscribers only – I feel that if a sensationalist information from the late 90’s is not to be found on the net, then it didn’t happen or that the information has been removed from public access (as sabotage). That is the case of a giant flag of Tibet presented in Calais, France. I call it my “ghost flag”.

God knows I am not the scholarly type and all I ever have researched is how to get high by domestic cleaning products – still my (by some) half -ass Google reseach has yielded fantastic results. In the two weeks in which I had with total dedication been surfing the net trying to find leads on my subject: GIANT FLAGS.

On Saturday, 12.12.09 I have presented the results of my research in the form of a lecture/performance in The Good Childeren Gallery.

The results are compiled in a document that served as a script for my artistic performance. I am posting it below. If anyone has searched the Internet for flag superlative information, they will agree that what follows is the most informed document on the subject available.

Based on this information I have produced a graph as well. A detail of the graph is posted above.

An american football field measures
300 x 120 ft = 100 x 40 yd =  91.44 x 36.5 m = 35,999 ft² = 3,344 m²  = 0.82 ac = 0.34 ha

1899 – LARGEST AMERICAN FLAG, was made by MISS JOSEPHINE MULFORD of Madison New Jersey during the American Spanish War of 1898. Flag was 100 x 65 ft, the blue field was 40 x 35 ft = 21.1 x 10.6 m, the stripes were 5 ft =1.5 m wide and the stars 2 ft 8 in = 80 cm across. Some of the 45 stars were sewn in historic places such as the very room in which Betsy Ross made the first american flag in 1776. This report was made by the New York Times in 1899 and in 1900.
100×65ft = 33×21yd = 30×19m = 6,500ft² = 603m² = 0.14ac = 0.06ha

1912 – The same paper writes in 1912 of a flag ceremony that will be held in Washington where gov.Hichcock will preside over the unfurling of what is believed to be the largest flag measuring 62 ft 6 in x 32 ft. The flag then had 48 stars.
62ft 6in x 32 ft = 21 x 11 yd = 19 x 10 m = 1,973 ft² = 183 m² = 0.04 ac = 0.018 ha

1914 – On July 30 a NEW YORK TIMES READER writes to the paper that their report from July 5 same year that a flag measuring 95 x 50 ft is the biggest american flag is a mistake and reminds them of Miss Mulfords’ flag of 1899.
95 x 50ft = 32 x 16yd = 27 x 15m = 5,700ft² = 529m² = 0.13ac = 0.05ha
Miss. Mulfords’ flag was 800 ft² = 74.3 m² larger

1915 – LARGEST AMERICAN FLAG ever made at the time 165 x 52 ft, weighing 1,560 lbs is flown between TIMES AND HEIDELBERG buildings at 42nd st. and Broadway. The flag was made by a New England cotton mill for the METRO PICTURES corporation.
165×52ft = 55×17yd = 50×16m = 8,580ft² = 797m² = 0.19ac = 0.079ha

1918 – BROOKLYN AUTO SHOW opens at the armory on Bedford avenue. From the ceiling of the armory was hung what was believed to be the largest american flag. The flag was  240 x 156 ft, stripes were 12 ft = 3.6 m wide and the stars were 6 ft = 1.8 from point to point.
240 x 156 ft = 80 x 52 yd = 73 x 47.5 m = 37,440 ft² = 3,478 m² = 0.85 ac = 0.34 ha

1976 – THE LARGEST UNION JACK flag was one 240 x 108 ft  displayed at the Royal Tournament, Earl’s Court, London in July 1976. It weighed more than a ton and was made in Exter, Devon.
240 x 108 ft = 80 x 36 yd = 73 x 33 m = 25,920 ft² = 2,408 m² = 0.5ac = 0.24 ha
1 UK long T = 1.12  US short T = 1.06  metric T

1982 – Guinness Book of World Records says: The largest flag in the world, the ‘Stars and Stripes’, was displayed at EVANSVILLE, INDIANA on 22 Mar 1980 measuring 411 ft (125 m) by 210 ft (64 m) with a weight of 7 T in readiness for its hoisting on VERRAZANO NARROWS BRIDGE, NEW YORK, USA on 4 July 1981. It is the brainchild of advertising man Len Silverfine.
411 x 210 ft = 137 x 70 yd = 125 x 64 m = 86,310 m² = 8,081 m² = 1.9ac = 0.8 ha

1993 – Guinness book notes that the largest flag in the world is a flag of the REPUBLIC OF CHINA presented to the city KAOSHIUNG, Taiwan by the Unichamps corporation in April 1989.
The flag is 413 x 275.5 ft and weighs 1,807 lb
413 x 275.5 ft = 138 x 92 yd = 126 x 84 m = 113,781 ft² = 10,570 m² = 2.61 ac = 1.05 ha
1,807 lb = 819.6 T = 0.87 T

1996 – SUPERFLAG, made by Ski Demski, measuring 505 x 255 ft, weighing 3000 lbs, each star is 17 ft across. It took 6 months to make it. It was displayed on the Hoover dam and it took the efforts of 200 men to maneuver it over the dam and mount it.
505 x 255 ft = 168 x 85 yd = 154 x 78 m = 113,625 ft² = 10,556 m² = 2.6 ac = 1.05 ha
3000 lbs = 1,360 kg = 1.36 MT
Has the area of 3 football fileds!

1998 – TURKEY, largest Turkish flag 52 x 78 meters, 4,056 m², unveiled in front of 30,000 people at the ALI SAMI YEN STADIUM was later hung from the KARAKAYA HYDROELECTRIC power plant.
255 x 170 ft = 85 x 56 yd = 52 x 78 m = 43,658 ft² = 4,056 m² = 1 ac = 0.4 ha

A large TURKISH flag on a side of a hill in Cyprus, NICOSIA facing the Greek side is 165 x 100 m and can be seen on GOOGLE EARTH.
541 x 328 ft x 180 x 109 yd = 165 x 100 m = 117,604 ft² = 16,500 m² = 4 ac = 1.65 ha

1998 – It is said that a large TIBETAN flag was was displayed in Calais, France on June 6, 1998. The flag measured 340 x 295 ft, that is 125 x 90 m, with an area  of 11, 250 m². I couldn’t find any leads  in the english language.

2001- GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE, NY – if weather allows, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day, as well as on dates honoring those lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks, the bridge sports the largest free-flying American flag in the world; 90 ft long and 60 ft wide, the flag weighs 450 pounds.
90 x 60 ft = 30 x 20 yd = 27 x 18 m = 5,400 ft² = 502 m² = 0.12 ac = 0.05 ha
400 lbs = 181 kg
1/6 the area of the area football filed, the same size as the flag reported in 1914

2003 – KEY WEST, THE LONGEST FLAG, Florida The artist who created the gay pride RAINBOW flag had sewn a 2 km = 1.25 mi long, 4.8 m = 16 ft wide version of the internationally recognized symbol was displayed along the entire length the island’ s main thoroughfare that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Gilbert Baker had help of some 3,000 people to help fly his mammoth creation.
1.25 mi = 2 km = 2,000 m = 2,187 yd = 6,561 ft
6,561 x 16ft = 2,187 x 5yd = 2,000 x 4.8m =103, 333ft² = 9,600m² = 2.37ac = 0.96
The rainbow flag was 12.9 times longer than the SUPERFLAG that at the time held the record for the worlds largest flag. However the rainbow flag had an area of 10, 292 ft²  lesser than the Superflag.

2004 – PAKISTAN broke the world record with a flag  510 x 340 ft, 173,400 ft². The flag was displayed in August 2004 on the occasion of th 57 th Independence day on a Karachi cricket field.
The Flag is made of 110 vertical stripes, while the crescent and star were hand painted. It was completed in just 13 days.
A cricket field is normally a circular or oval shaped, having a diameter that varies between 450 and 500 feet: 500 ft = 152.4 m = 166.6 yd
510 x 340 ft = 170 x 113.3 yd = 155.4 x 103.6 m = 173,400 ft² = 16,109 m² = 1.63 ac = 0.66 ha

2004 –  BAHRAIN – the smallest Gulf state – beat Pakistan’s short lived record and has unfurled the world’s largest national flag in December 2004 at a sports stadium car park. The flag measures 169 x 97 m. 70 people worked for 400 hours to make the 16,393 m² flag and the finished product weighs 3,200 kg.
555 x 318 ft = 185 x 106 yd = 169 x 97 m = 176,452 ft² = 16,393 m² = 4.05 ac = 1.63 ha

2007 – World record for the largest flag set by a flag of ISRAEL in November 2007. The flag is  615 x 330 ft, 202,870 sq ft , it weighs 5.2 tons. The flag is made by Philippine Grace Galindez-Gupana and unfurled at Masada Airfield. The flag was sewn in 3 weeks by 6 professional seamstresses under the direction of 2 designers and with the help of 40 volunteers. It is twice the size of the SUPERFLAG, the size of two football stadiums.
615 x 330 ft = 205 x 110 yd = 187.5 x100.5 m  = 202,870 ft² = 18,843 m² = 4.6 ac =1.88 ha

2007 – December 2007, ABU DHABI, the worlds largest aerial flag was flown. The flag of United Arab Emirates was towed by a Bell 412 Aircraft, it was 50,000 ft² = 4,645 m²
Similar area to Turkey flag of 1998.

2008 – PALESTINE, an initiative started over the internet by young Palestinians that live on the West Bank and abroad is hoping to break the world record of the biggest Palestinian flag in the world and are hoping to compete with the Israeli flag. The flag is 232 x 110 m. The area of 27,000 m², corresponds to the full area of historic palestine. The project cost $20,000. The flag was presented in May 2008 in Damascus. It is not mentioned in the Guinness Records.
761 x 360 ft = 253 x 120 yd = 232 x 110 m = 271,465 ft² = 25,520 m² = 6.23 ac = 2.5 ha

2009 – The impoverished former Soviet republic of TAJIKISTAN is made to enter the Guinness Books of World Records with what it said was the world’s longest flag. Tajikistan has submitted its application to the Guinness committee in the hope of knocking Russia off the top spot. A Russian flag about 1,260 m = 4,158-ft long was presented in St. Petersburg in August 2009 to mark the country’s own national flag day. Both flags are shorter than the 2003 RAINBOW FLAG:
Tajikistan 500 m = 1,640 ft , Russia 740 m = 2,427 ft

2009 – SWITZERLAND, it is believed to be the second largest flag in the world. The flag is 120 x 120 m and was fixed to the rock face of Saentis mountain on the occasion of the National day, July 2009
393 x393 ft = 131 x 131 yd = 120 x 120 m = 155,000 ft² = 14,400 m² = 3.55 ac = 1.44 ha
2009 – SHARJAH — A UNITED ARAB EMIRATES flag of the size of four football grounds that has gained entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest will be unfurled December 3 and 4 2009 as part of the National Day celebrations. The UAE flag  covers an area of 22,813 m² it is 208 m-long and 109.7 m wide and weighs 4,254 kg. Manufacturing and moving of the flag required 145 tailors and assistant workers. It will be unfurled in five minutes and 20 seconds by 448 men who have undergone training for the special drill for the purpose for several months.
682 x 359 ft = 227 x 119 yd = 208 x 110 m = 245,606 ft² = 22,813 m² = 5.63 ac = 2.28 ha
At the time the flag was produced (May  2008) it was the largest, yet the record was beat by Ms. Grace Gupanana’s Jerusalem flag that was almost double the size!

2009 – JERUSALEM Sept 18.2009 The world’s largest flag was unfurled over Teddy Football Stadium, Jerusalem, The creation of the flag was initiated by Grace Galindez Gupana, Filipino business woman who also made the record breaking flag of Israel. The flag  features the largest emblem of lion, measures 43,412 m² (that’s over 4.3 ha)  and weighs 9.5 T. A team of six people produced the world’s largest flag over a period of 120 days. It cost $120,000 to make.
Measuring 287.5 m long and 151 m wide, the area of the flag was an enormous 43,412 m².
943 x 495 ft = 314 x 165 yd = 287 x 151 m =  467,282 ft² = 43,412m² = 10.72 ac = 4.34 ha
This flag is the size of 12.6 football fields

FLYING FLAGS & FLAGPOLES

1999 – MEXICO, Banderas Monumentales are a huge flag/monuments  part of a government program started in 1999. The biggest monumental flag in Mexico is the one located in Monterrey (northeast) with a pole height of 100.6 meters and a flag measuring 50 by 29 meters, built to double the size of the other monumental flags. It is located at the top of the CERRO DEL OBISPADO (Bishopric Hill) at an altitude of 775 meters above sea level and it weighs 230 kilograms. It was inaugurated on the Flag Day, 24 February 2005.
164 x 94 ft = 55 x 31 yd = 50 x 29 m = 15,338 ft² = 1,425 m² =
0.35 ac = 0.14 ha
330 ft = 100.6 m
230 kg = 507 lbs

BRASIL The largest flag regularly hoisted in the world is the Brazilian national flag flown in the Square of the Three Powers in the capital, Brasília. This flag weighs about 600 kg (1300 lbs) and has 7,000 m² (70×100 m), or 230 by 330 ft.
330 x 230 ft = 360 x 251.5 yd = 100 x 70 m = 75,347 ft² = 7,000 m² = 1.72 ac = 0.7 ha

NORTH KOREA The highest flagpole in the world, at 160 metres = 525 ft, is that at Gijeong-dong dubbed “Propaganda Village” in North Korea, the flag weighing about 270 kg = 600 lbs  when dry. Their claim has not been unanimously accepted by the competitors for the highest unsupported flagpole.
525 ft = 160 m flagpole
270 kg = 600 lbs = 0.27 T, it weighs a bit over a qarter of a ton when dry!
2003 – JORDAN – The RAGHADAN Flagpole in Amman is currently the third tallest free-standing flagpole in the world. It reaches a height of 126 meters (410 ft) and hoists a flag that measures 60 by 40 meters (200 by 130 feet); it is illuminated at night and can be seen from 25 km = 16 miles away.
200 x 130 ft = 65 x 43.7 yd = 60 x 40 m = 25,833.3 ft² = 2,400 m² =0.59 ac = 0.24 ha
410 ft = 126 m flagpole

Same manufacturing company made the second highest flagpole the AQABA Flagpole, also in JORDAN 433 ft. A 1,200 ton crane was used to erect the flagpole on site. It carries a prominent 132 x 66 ft flag.
132 x 66 ft = 43.9 x 21.9 yd = 40.2 x 20.1 m = 8712 ft² = 809.3 m² = 0.2 ac = 0.08 ha
433 ft = 132 m flagpole

2008 – TURKMENISTAN, Ashbagad got the world’s tallest unsupported flagpole in July 2008. At 133 m = 436 ft 4 in tall, it’s the tallest unsupported pole of its kind, carrying a flag as large as two tennis courts! The 11-piece pole  was created in Dubai, UAE, and shipped to Ashgabad by trucks. A 500 T =1.1 million lb crane was then used to join them together, creating a giant, stainless steel taper that’s 2.6 m = 8 ft 6 in wide at the bottom and 0.75 m = 2 ft 5 in at the top. The total weight comes to incredible 135 T = 297, 000 lbs, and that’s without the flag: 1,837 m² =19,773 ft².
An official Tennis court is 78 ft 39 ft = 23.78 x11.8 m = 3.042 ft² = 282.6 m², so their flag has to be at least 6.5 times as large as a tennis court, if the flag is 1,837 m² =19,773 ft² as they claim.
198.8 x 99.4 ft = 66.2 x 33.1 yd = 60.6 x 30.3 m = 19,773 ft² = 1,837 m² = 0.45 ac = 0.18 ha
436 ft = 133 m flagpole

TURKMENISTAN will, however be out rivaled by the National Flag Square in Baku, AZERBAIJAN, which is currently under construction and will reach a height of 162 m.
531 ft = 162 m

2009 – many are convinced that GASTONIA, NC is home to the world’s largest flying American flag.  It measures 65 x 114 feet wide and weighs 180 pounds, and each of the 13 stripes measures 5 feet in height. Meanwhile, the 225-foot flagpole is 4 feet in diameter at the base and weighs 80,000 pounds. It is flown June 14 on Flag Day and other special occasions. The flag can be seen for 30 miles.
114 x 114 ft = 21.6 x 8 yd =19.8 x 34.7 m = 7,410 ft² = 688.4 = 0.17 ac = 0.06 ha
255 ft = 68.5m flagpole
This flagpole will be 276 ft = 97.4 m shorter than the future record holder and is 181 ft = 65.5 m sorter than the current record holder

The information is gathered based on Internet research. Some measures have been rounded up. I do not guarantee that all information is correct. All the calculations are approximate, based on conversions on the Mac OSX widget converter.

A funny thing happened at the New Orleans Public Library. The lady at the information counter was really nice to me, helped me find old copies of the Guinness Book of Records, she chatted with me. I told her that I was looking for stats on the largest flags. With the best intentions, I am sure, she got on the Internet and of course the first thing that popped up was Ski Demski’s SUPERFLAG. Little did she know that record was broken ages ago – and I told her so – having dedicated a working week to researching the flags. She was really nice and polite but she didn’t seem to accept the fact that Ski Demski’s “Old Glory” a.k.a the Superflag is just not the biggest flag in the world anymore – especially she didn’t seem to accept that United Arab Emirates are just about the break he record today, if I am not mistaken!

Anyway, I am definitely far away from Europe (funny the only largest flag record from Europe I found was from Switzerland). In Europe lots of nice arty things have happened, such as the Gender Check exhibition in Vienna. I somehow wasn’t included in the show, I was a bit offended and I will never talk to the curator EVER! Guess I suck! Well I did not make into “Gender Check” but was AT LEAST “Name Checked” in an interview with Dunja Blazevic on the shows website.

Now in New Orleans I’ve been graciously invited to participate in a show that is loosely grouped around the topic of flags due to open mid December in Good Children Gallery. I’ve been thinking of statistics, of numbers and abstract facts. Mentioning  a flag is always so loaded. Especially in the US. Especially everywhere.

I appreciate flags as fashion, on t-shirts, hats, shoes, bags. Tattoos? I love it when the potency of the meanings loose and we can just play with the patterns. Would one wear stars and stripes just for the graphical quality?

Ginger Spice rocked the Union Jack in the mid 90’s, yet I haven’t seen the equivalent ease of “wear” for the stars and stripes. That got me to wondering: is it all post 9/11 or maybe this big U.S. flag cult had existed before. What I was struck with most is the huge, enormous flags flown by car dealerships and malls. After just scratching the surface of the issue I discovered that there is a big flag fad here form way back. Heck, I had stood in school in Middle Village, Queens saluting the flag as a kid.

That reminds me: The other day Tim n I went to a school and we got there just in time for the salute to the flag. I haven’t recited those words for more two decades yet I stood there and recited the pledge word for word.

Anyway, I really got into this big flag research and it soon took me away from the US and to the Guinness Book of Word Records. The US has fallen off the record breaking flag in 2007 when a Philippine woman commissioned a 5.2 ton flag of Israel that was twice the size of the American “Superflag”. God spoke to Grace in thunder and lightning ordering her to make a flag of his people.

This all opened a very interesting subject where my main concern is not in the meaning of the flag but of the micro story behind it and it’s area and dimensions and how it was made. I am interested in the factual materiality of the flag, not it’s significance, symbolism or political history.

One of the most striking images of the monumental flags I have found with a light browse on the net is the one I posted above. It was at the time, a second largest flag in the world.

Somehow the nature in this photo both emphasizes the grandness of the flag and undermines it at the same time. The flag her is like a  lobster bib for the mountain. In terms of fashion, its neutral colors work well with the red. I love the giant scale of the flag. Notice those dots – they are climbers who set the flag up!

Scaling the work down from Threshold’s original 22 screen display to 10 and sometimes just 1 screen the work has been undergoing constant change. For one I have definitely omitted the blackface, I have added the scrolling text video and made the work more cohesive, more solid. Still, I’ve always felt that it’s really not there yet – until recently.

The new and improved Travel in the box will take form mostly as a performance/poetry reading. I’ve asked 5 poets and poetesses: Mehmed Begic, Andreja Duganzic, Ivona Jukic,  and Marko Tomas to contribute to the project with a poem. The topic is, of course, the separate travels of Henry Brown and Charles McKinley in the box. I plan to construct a box and red their poetry curled up in the crate while live camera projects my image form the box on 5 screens for the public to see.

It has been an absolute pleasure to receive their contributions one by one and read them. I will be bringing their works to this blog as soon as I gather all the translations we are preparing for the production of a limited edition booklet. Soon, it will be soon, as the re-vamped “Travel in the Box” piece/performance is about to premiere in Ljubljana on 13.10.2009 in Gallery P74 as part od City of Women festival with the theme “Global South”.

The video is shot in New Orleans Lower Garden District, on the corner of Camp and Thalia streets, on what is left of an old movie theater that burned down some years ago. The lot has been for sale for some time. The debris of the building has long been cleaned up and the only indicator of that it was once a theater are the masonry steps of the former entrance that now resemble a mini stage with an auditorium on the street corner. The empty lot being a common sight of the New Orleans urban landscape. The storyline also relates to New Orleans – as it tells of a place that is under constant threat of a flood while  the video gives a portrait of a quiet street corner in the utilized as a stage for a performative act – reminding of the site’s former function. Even though it was hard to jam the hole narrative into the short one minute format, I hope that one senses the storyline that tells of urgency in the face of a pending catastrophe.

Camera and Editing: Lala Rascic
Performers: Generic Art Solutions (Matt Vis, Tony Campbell)
Thank you: Daryn De Luco

better believe it my website is up!

Let us suppose that everyone has his private madness. Knowledge without truth would be the labour or the attention of an intense singualrity analogous to this “private” madness – for everything private is madness to the extent at least that we seek, though it, to communicate.

Maurice Blanchot – The Writing of the Disaster

It goes like this, instead of concentrating on the performance I have been living thru a nightmare of dealing with scale and priority. All focus has been lost and I have been dedicated to finishing some vector drawings that are totally beside the point.

I am looking for a way to be beside myself, just like my vector drawings are beside the point.

I have overcome my fight with subjectivity and are looking now for a narrative – where is it? In my last post I was talking about form. I was looking for it. For articulation. Everything is articulated by now. Over articulated. I got a plan,  the screen , the watercolors, the friggin’ vector drawings, the book is in the making – look above, it is a drawing, an illustration!

A note on performance  -I have a fear of articulating my thoughts for the purpose of verbalizing them in front of an audience.

Second note on performance – it is that fear that keeps pushing me more and more into theatre.

I am beside myself with worry about what it will amount to.