…it is perhaps the case too that the desire is not merely to mimic but, magically, to be brute, primitive, instinctive, and therefore innocent. One might then be a person for whom the contest is not mere self-destructive play but life itself; and the world, not in spectacular and irrevocable decline, but new, fresh, vital, terrifying and exhilarating by turns, a place of wonders. (On Boxing, Joyce Carol Oates, 1987)

 

3, 2, 1 FIGHT! is a sculptural installation, an audio visual performance, a violent, voyeuristic spectacle and an exercise in strength, agility and stamina all at once. It celebrates the attack, domination and animal panic, it worships struggle and attempts to force you into complete submission using only its hands and body – a modern day mythopoeic metaphor for a fight to the death. It is in love with mastery, physical prowess and mutual respect. It demands attention, needs you to listen and work those sharp reflexes. It wants to choke you until you tap out.

During the exhibition, each Friday there was a live action event where another brave fighter was invited to enter the hexagon with me. The rules were simple, strikes were allowed to the body but not to the head, a fighter could be submitted through joint locks and chokes to the side of the neck, however, eye poking, small joint manipulation and windpipe techniques were strictly forbidden. Each fight was recorded, and replayed as an audio piece within the hexagon throughout the week.

Fights:
Friday November 8 at 20:30, fighter: Varja Alerta
Friday November 15 at 17:30, fighter: Linn Ziqver Xavier
Friday November 22 at 17:30, fighter: Johan Rosenmunthe
Friday November 29 at 22:00, fighter: Bo Grubbe Jensen

 

Thank you eternally, New Shelter Plan.