Johan Suneson
Lake Papenfuhlbecken is fenced and inaccessible. From the lake, a stream flows past Cosmonautenalle´, between the Rhinstrasse and the Evangeliche krankenhaus des königin Elisabeth, formerly the Berlin-Lichtenberg Specialist Hospital for Neurology and Psychiatry. The stream forms a continuous line. Dense greenery surrounds the river in spring. Tree canopies form a roof over the stream, so it feels like you are inside a tunnel. No children play by the stream and it is surrounded by fences in places. I made a performance where four figures travel in a boat. The boat and the figures are cast in plaster. They are cast in cavities that I dug in the muddy bank of the river. The figure in the bow represents a Cyclops, a one-eyed mythological creature. In the middle of the boat, two figures sit next to each other. One represents a psychiatrist and one represents a cosmonaut/astronaut. At the back sits an anonymous person. The boat is pulled upstream, against the direction of the water. During the performance, the floating sculpture group was repainted. The colors symbolize changed circumstances or are an expression of feelings. Finally, the boat was placed one centimeter above the surface of the water, so that it cast a shadow that separated it from the water.
