EGG AND CRESS SANDWICHES IN BERLIN
08/06/08
Over the past two months, “Cress starter packs” have been sent out internationally by the Nottingham (UK) based artist group Going Nowhere. With each pack comes the request that the receiver will grow the cress and bring it to the Cuban Unnos one-night house site in Alexanderplatz on Sunday the 8th June.
The house was ordered by the police to be taken down early that morning, approximately four hours after it had been built. When this happened, it was uncertain what would happen to Going Nowhere’s project. Each of the members, although tired after helping the build the one-night house the previous night, was not disheartened. Setting up where the house once stood with their sliced bread and pre-made egg mayonnaise, they waited in anticipation for their participants. One by one the cress growers made their way over to the site for traditional British egg and cress sandwiches.
As I turned the corner, I felt a loss within me, gutted that the house was not still standing. But, with cress in hand, I felt a sense of achievement that my cress had grown happily on top of my hostel locker and I was eager to show and share it with the others. Just like a bottle of wine brought to a party is gratefully welcomed, bringing the cress into this small community I was greeted with thankful smiles.
There on that patch of grass, a transnational community was built up and the participatory nature of the project was obvious. But it left me wondering if this was it. Was Going Nowhere’s main intention to follow the New Life Berlin Festival’s aims, or did the project simply lack a more meaningful aspect? A good egg and cress sandwich was had by all as we mourned the loss of the one night house.
