A Thought:

“When night has fallen, and you remain alone in your room, sit down at your desk, turn out the light, and turn your desk lamp so that it illuminates only one small part of the desk, it can be one of its corners…. And you will quickly see how suddenly a new mysterious world emerges, which you couldn't have anticipated before. Ordinary things: a note pad, a pen, a ruler, a box of paper clips, an eraser which during the days were lying on your desk, will acquire roles in this magical circle of light that are unexpected and unfamiliar to you. But most of all, you yourself will change. In a strange way and without any particular effort, you will begin to shrink and soon you will become very tiny amidst these enormous, strange and incomprehensible objects. This journey of yours begins at that moment; very slowly, not rushing, you begin to walk around each of them, carefully examining them, concocting all kinds of guesses about the purpose of each of them and about what is written or drawn on them.”

- Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, The Palace of Projects: Night Journey, 1998

An Action:

ASSIGNMENT #50-ish: TAKE A FLASH PHOTO UNDER YOUR BED (PT 1) ✔️
Write the Story of your Journey (PT 2)

With your photo from the previous assignment in mind, imagine yourself shrinking, shrinking. The space you are peering into is no longer recognizable as the underside of your bed. It is an unfamiliar landscape. This is where your journey begins…

In one page, write the opening scene of your journey. It may take the form of a poem, prose, or play. If you’d like, include illustrations; it could be a comic strip or a page out of a graphic novel. Try to get as many details in as possible. And, if you feel so inspired, take it further, write the novel! No one’s gonna stop you.

Send the file to friends@stoveworks.org

.pdf, .docx, google doc, .jpg preferred.