A Perfect Conversation – NK department store in Stockholm and on the Internet, January 30-February 15, 1998.

The project A Perfect Conversation is Bogdan Szyber and Carina Reich’s contribution to Insyn, the group exhibition held as part of the European Capital of Culture year. It will be on view from 1–15 February in the right-hand display window by the main entrance of the NK department store on Hamngatan in central Stockholm.

“The Beautiful People, The Beautiful People, It’s all relative to size of your steeple, You can’t see the forest for the trees, And you can’t smell, Your own shit on your knees… ”

(Marilyn Manson from ”The Beautiful People,” 1996)

Five mannequins in expensive clothes from Tiger, 3 female and 2 male. All of the mannequins are connected to a compressor, a container with wallpaper glue, and a controlling program in a computer. The end of a hose comes out of each mannequin’s mouth, where streams of wallpaper glue ­ the party’s conversation ­ fly through the air between the mannequins.

A small digital camera is mounted in one of the mannequin’s eyes. It is connected to the computer, which in turn links what the mannequin ”sees” out onto the Internet. In this way, it is possible for any surfer, regardless of where on the planet they may be, to not only see from the mannequin’s perspective, but also to manipulate the mannequin to a certain degree: to turn its head and spit on three of the other mannequins.

Place

The display window of the NK department store in Stockholm and on the Internet, January 30-February 15, 1998.

Recipe

1 display window, 5 mannequins, 5 suits with the Tiger label, 1 digital camera, 1 computer monitor, 1 computer, 5 compressors, a controlling computer program, wallpaper glue, plastic hosing.