Party Manual (Marina Belobrovaja, Frank Landes, Valentin Altdorfer) «Party Manual»

Shedhalle / Exhibitions / Live Wire / Artists

Party Manual (Marina Belobrovaja, Frank Landes, Valentin Altdorfer) CH: Party Manual (photo of event)

Party Manual
Performative installation, 2005–07/2011

The project “Party Manual” was first performed in July 2005 at the Performance Festival "Stromereien" in Zurich, Tanzhaus Wasserwerk. It reproduced an authentic party setting with mirror ball, hi-fi system, bar etc. The electrical power needed was generated by human muscular power: While some celebrated, others had to pedal, to crank, to sweat. The basic idea, then, was to treat the people generating the electricity as temporary staff and pay them to draw attention to the inequalities involved in consumer culture and how everybody takes things for granted.
The project “Party Manual” was now re-activated for the exhibition “Live Wire”. At the opening, the disco is run by volunteers, and during the exhibition the various appliances may be used. Thus, visitors can experience physically how strenuous it is to generate a little bit of continuous current. Pedalling a bicycle yields the energy for not more than a 50-watt bulb or for two turntables. Appliances needing more power, like a hair-dryer or an iron, wouldn’t work or simply produce a short. The power supply system used here is unstable, it might collapse anytime: If somebody does not want to continue pedalling the lighting is gone and the music starts wailing and faltering. To generate electrical power by human muscular power, thus, can – technically and bio-politically – be deemed costly and inefficient. Small wonder that one invented “simpler” means to generate power, means however, always at the cost of somebody. “Party Manual” not only stages the precariousness and difficulties of generating electrical power but lets us experience that there are alternatives if we are willing to join in.

link: / partymanual.ch