The set of instructions is about how to perform non-utility and to feel useless.



This proposal arose from Singapore's top on utility of professions, considering the artist's work as no 1 in non-utility  and non essential.





To be no 1 in a top, even on the negative side, is not necessarily something bad. It is, at least, a top no 1 that someone could aspire to, because bad attention and bad consideration are also attention and consideration.



The proposal combines the assumption that the artist’s work (not the art, but the work) is non-util in perception of some and the assumption that you are performing all the time, and that anyone (can) perform, anywhere, anytime.

I slightly transformed for the project the term non-essential in non-util.

The set of instructions addresses you because you will be the work of art, the maker, the doer and the result.



It will consist of laying down in places you are and you go. You will perform in your home, on the street, waiting for the taxi or the bus or a person, in the restaurant/terrace, at your desk in the office, in your studio, at the vernissages you go, parties, family reunions, supermarket, parking lot, holidays and so on. You will be present and inutile, an inutile budding work of art, camouflaging (or not) into the landscape. The purpose is to create a work of art based on your inutility. In performing the non-utility, your presence for sure will be noticed. Also, performing non-utility could be difficult.



You will culminate by flying to Singapore to feel officially recognized as no 1 in inutility.

General rules:

When a thought or desire of an action is popping up in your head, if you are an artist could be an artistic action, a new idea, a possible new project or a consequence of it, and if you are not an artist could be anything else, just do not follow it. It is useless. Go and lay into your bed or just lay somewhere.



It could be anywhere, preferably right where you are in that moment. Stop thinking about it or imagining it or any other action. Lay or sit and be useless, it is useless to have any thoughts, you are useless. All the things and ideas  that are coming into your mind are useless and non essential. Lay as long as you need to feel useless and become useless for the situation and the situation becomes useless for you..





I will not say to go and to do nothing because with the nothing subject there is an entire philosophy. The difference is subtle, so you might not notice the differences between being useless and doing nothing. Performing  uselessness is different from performing nothing. Performing uselessness  means you do something which is useless. Performing nothing means you do something.Shortly, just to give an idea, performing nothing is already performing something, so it should be much more difficult to perform non utility/ inutility, uselessness.





You have to attend but to be useless.

Be sure, (double check) that you perform your non utility in public, that you are surrounded by people that can certify that you are useless..

If you see someone more useless than you are, try to regain your no 1 position in inutility.

Why laying? Scientifically, when you are laying down your brain is no longer occupied with holding your body and yourself in an upright position, so you are in danger to start to become creative, so useless. On the other hand, horizontal position is the only one when you are useless even for yourself, because you do not have to hold all of your body, and most importantly, your head. And, of course, when you are relaxed, your mind starts to be creative or to fall asleep. So you are in danger of becoming an artist.

Another perspective is that laying down is emblematic for uselessness.



Don't  push yourself too hard to become useless. As you become creative in being useless there will be no uselessness anymore.



From time to time take a break. You are free to do something useful to see how it feels. For example, wash your hands.

There are 12 instructions for you.

But the list is open.

You could perform the non-utility anytime, anywhere. You are welcome to do that and to experiment as much as you can.

Instructions:

2
. Go to a park and lay down there, or in any other place with signs of natural elements, like a green space filled with grass.

Tip

: Usually people do that in parks, that's one of the reasons parks are made for. This time do it differently. Feel the uselessness.



1
. Go to play some sports, like tennis or ping pong, basketball or even football, anyway something that you do not play alone. Be useless. Recognise it and lay down. Eventually ask the other person to picture you.

Tip

: You can also play alone. Football for example. Or ping pong. For sure it will be useless, and sooner or later you will lay down, and if you stay there long enough for sure someone will picture you even if you will not know it.





3
. When at home do useless things. Not nothing but activities that do not have any utility.

Feel good about it, you are a number one. For example when you are hungry or thirsty go to the fridge and instead of opening it to take something to eat or drink ( which could also be inutile ) try to change the door of the fridge with the opening on the other side. This will be quite a complicated action and in most cases, totally useless.







4
. Go to a regular supermarket. Not a market but a supermarket or, better, a hypermarket. Preferably during the weekend. Go to your favorite rayon. If you don't have one just go to the rayon that you need to buy stuff. Don't buy anything. Just lay down and hang there as long as you wish and can. If somebody asks you something just answer that you are inutile or that it is non essential, or just don't bother to answer, that is inutile anyway.





5
. Go to a parking lot.  Choose an empty spot. Lay down. Eventually stay there till someone would like to park where you are.

Tip

: Don’t take your own car, go by feet to the parking lot. Otherwise you should first park your car, which is essential and mandatory.





6
. If you are going for the holiday, and it happens to go visit things, or admire things, just don't engage with looking at them. Lay down and feel your uselessness and the uselessness of your trip. Artists usually do not have holidays. They are useless all the time.





7
. Go into the street. Pick up a stable point like a street lamp pillar or tree. Then, from the place you are, walk useless to that point feeling as useless as you can. Try to observe yourself and your body while doing it. Don't judge it. Just observe and embody the non essential act of going toward it. It may arrive to lay down. Do it.

Tip

: Remember the sensation. You might need it some other time. You might need it when you'll be too nervous to be useless in a more complicated situation.





8
.  Go to your office. Instead of sitting at your desk with your eyes onto the computer screen go and lay on the desk.  Be sure your colleagues are at the office too. lay there, enjoy. you might hear the others fingers on the keyboard while working, or other sounds and it could be disturbing. Feel the uselessness of it.

Important!! Don't bother to clean the mess on your desk. Just lay as it is, on top your coffee cup, notes, keyboard, books, pens, or whatever else.

Tip no 1

: If you really are an artist and you are performing this project just lay down in your studio/work space/floor/bed/etc.

Tip no 2

: if you do not work in an office and you do not have a desk where to lay on to, simply lay at your workplace, and be sure someone will notice.

Tip no 3

: if you are an artist and there is nobody to witness your non-utility, you are lucky enough if you have a cat or a dog around. If this doesn't apply, just lay, sometimes it is useless to validate even your non utility.





9
. Go out to a meeting that is important for you. Could be a love date, a work date,  a meeting with a friend you didn't see for a long time. Lay down or on the table if this is possible, or on the sitting bench.

Tip: If your meeting partner is disturbing you with questions about what is wrong with you, don't bother to answer, he/she will figure out that it is inutile.





10
. Go to a family reunion. Be as useless as you can. Don’t explain why if you are asked. Enjoy your non util presence and posture.

Tip 1

: if it is not possible to participate in a family reunion or to organise one especially for your performance, or you simply do not have a family, just go to an art opening. If you are an artist or an art operator this is your second family. If you are not an artist it is not so difficult to be one.

Tip to the tip

: find a crowded opening, for a well known artist or in an acclaimed gallery. your uselessness will have more value.

Tip to the tip to the tip

: do not perform your laying down at your own opening. you are already in the centre of attention, so it will be redundant for everybody.

Tip 2

: You can do them both.



11
. Plan your going out using public transport.Go to a bus station. Try to pick a rush hour with a crowded station. While waiting for the bus, lay down on the concrete. Feel the concrete below your spine.

Tip

: If you travel more by subway, you can perform your uselessness in a metro  station, or try them both.





12
. If you are about to cross a street, do not cross, go and lay on the crosswalk.

Tip

: Try to lay as long as you can.





13
. Enjoy.

Tip

: You are a no 1.









While experimenting and taking pictures for the project I observed that it is not necessary to lay all the time. I picked up the lying position because the non utility is obvious. But from time to time you can change and choose any other body posture in which you adopt the non utility and your non essential presence.





14. (optional)

If you are not from Singapore, well, try to go to Singapore, even this presumes to take some real actions, like planning, buying tickets, and so on.

Imagine you are an artist. There you will be no 1 in uselessness without even bothering to perform and lay down.

Tip no 1

: if you are an artist look up for a (paid ) residency

in Singapore and apply.

Tip no 2

: If you are from Singapore come to Bucharest to meet the artist and to

lay down in inutility together, or invite the artist to Singapore to do the same thing.

Images:

Tip: You will find some pictures that do not have any instructions. Do not panic. This is happening because being useless has an endless variation of manifestation. You should start to be creative and more open into performing your inutility.

You will also find some instructions without pictures. I am sure you will figure out somehow.


Sometimes, while laying, look in front of your eyes and admire the view given by your non essential and non util presence, position and activity. Feel good and enjoy it. To be non-utile could be a privilege.


While you are laying into your non util position just admire the view on top of you. Even if you should be inutile also for yourself, you could fake it from time to tim.