How happy we were, 1997.

"How happy we were", 1997. 

Eli Benveniste films her own work process, and later the exhibition 'The Replaceable in Galerie Anne Marie, 1997.

Dear Audience.

This is probably - to date, the strangest contribution to an exhibition I have yet to find. Yet it is real enough as it is a clear picture of the reality I am in, a reality that I think many can recognize - being interrupted all the time, and the fact that you cannot be two places at the same time, as it now coincided with me - that I could not travel from Italy and at the same time said yes to participating in the exhibition "The writing on the wall" for the Culture Week at Bornholm in Galleri BANKEN, Gudhjem and R2 Galleri, Svaneke.

That’s why I made a video, with my phone, a tutorial, showing how to do and I will ask you - dear audience, to make them for me. Then put on your coat and butter 'sleeves and grab the clay. It's just about following the movements of my hands on the video. But start by rolling out the clay in sausages of 50-60 cm length, for approx. 2 cm thick. In the video, I model 4-5 different characters and you can just take the one that fits the time you finish rolling out.

Now you are no longer a spectator, but an actor and can stand on a pedestal or sit at the table and repeat the movements of my hands and make the sculptures for me - because I am in absentia - I was on my way but was interrupted. The sculptures by you and other passersby will be part of the joint exhibition "Eli in Absentia". - I thank you for helping out.

And after all, it is also not bad to disregard oneself as a single individual and instead join in a community. Asking for help is, for me, the same as giving a gift - just as it is really important to remember, to ask the person helping, for a service, to maintain the sensitive balance that exists between us humans.

Kind regards, Eli