Espaço B

Space B

My commentary

In 1977 Walter Zanini, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of São Paulo, invited me to occupy the newly created Espaço (Space) B. As he explained, it was a space that would house works of art that used little or none traditional resources . He also said that in front of the entrance, there would be Espaço (Space) A, destined to receive experimental works on traditional support and who would be there during my presentation would be Ubirajara Ribeiro. I asked him to postpone my opening for a few days to coincide with that of Ubirajara, whom I have always admired. The dates of April 25, 1977, for opening and May 15 for closing were fixed.
My work plan was delivered in the form of a two pages letter with a statment and work list. A new installation and allready done pieces that, in my opinion, offered an overview of what was going on in the statement.
On the wall flanked by the two entrances, I drew in pencil, large format, the figure of the hand that holds the lighted flame of plank nº 6 of the Pequeno Mobiliário Brasileiro (Small Brazilian Furniture) project, with a weak lamp superimposed, and its 6 planks fixed to the side wall on the left of those who entered and on the opposite wall, in front, two variations of the Jaula da Anta (Tapir's Cage) project. Both in blue print, calleing the set “Projects in the Conceptual Space” for the occasion.
In the center, two showcases with small formats, almost all on paper, one of them housing “Verbal Codes” and the other housing “Visual Codes”. In the background was the unprecedented installation Nós (Us), where the performance that gave the installation its title took place and where the video Nós (version II) was recorded. There were rustic clotheslines (ropes supported by poles resting on the ground), surrounding an area near the flat back wall, with sheets hanging between the poles. The sheets had photos of landscapes that could evoke memories and nostalgia affixed in the middle of the cloth. There was a reason for the choice of photographers: they were very close to me, and I cherished our friendship. On the wall were the names of other people who were close to me, especially those who collaborated on the work. On the floor lay an empty pair of trousers, stiff and painted a hideous green, like a dead body in the street - ‘...caddi como corpo morto cade’ (still Dante) - covered with newspaper, changed from time to time according to the headlines. Next to the ‘body,’ a clumsy tape recorder called out names in a ‘fony’ voice, names of people who were dead or missing at the hands of the military and police connected to those in power.

Basically, the installation Nós, where the scenario of the performance that gave the title to the installation and where was made and where the video Nós (version II) was recorded
In 2017, 50 years later, the Spanish PM8 Gallery reassembled the installation, including the video, reproduced on vintage televisions and 3 framed photos of the performance.
_{Gabriel Borba, 2020}