Ronen.Dvarim

On Tuesday night (23/01/07) after two cold days of installing the project we returned to Weimar only to discover that the Jena police came to my house looking for me. The officers asked my flat-mate Jonas to tell me to call the police station as soon as I come home because they found a picture of me presenting my passport lit up in the sewage in Jena. Totally freaked out, my biggest fear at that moment was that just as the police visited me they might have visited the other participators in the project. The people that volunteered to participate and have there photo installed in the sewage, trusted me. They where told by me that I have all the necessary permissions for the project and both the Bauhaus university and the city of Jena are involved and support the project. How could I face them if the police show up in there homes suddenly in the middle of the night?
I quickly called the station and was transferred to Herr. Grossherr, the policeman who was looking for me. Grossherr explained that some citizen called to complain that there was something strange in the sewage, so they went to the scene of crime and quickly dismantled the suspiciously dangerous object they found. What they found was a picture of me - the one with me holding my passport - and both it and the light structure which illuminated it were removed and are now being held at the police station. I quickly realized that fortunately and very luckily they only found that installation so that they have not visited anyone except me. Nevertheless I felt angry and frustrated. On the phone, I aggressively explained that it’s an art project, that I have all the permissions needed, that the project is part of a whole public art interaction in the city of Jena and they had no right to do what they did. Grossherr continued to explain that they did not know that I had permission, and since someone complained they had to remove it. To make sure that they have not removed any other pictures, lights or visited any of the participants I had to tell him that there where more installations in other locations. Grossherr demanded to know their exact locations in order to now “protect” them. I reluctantly told him after realizing that it was probably more stupidity and ignorance that produced his actions rather than having something against the project.
We concluded the conversation by agreeing that my professors at university will send them the appropriate documents of permission the next day and that they will not touch the rest of the instillation. I was then told that I could come to the station and pick up my picture and the light structure. I tried to demand that he comes with me to reinstall it, because it was him who had uninstalled it wrongly. I explained that I worked very hard on the instillation and that it was only just if the police reinstalled it for me. Nevertheless – since he appeared to be shocked from my suggestion - I guess the German police are not used to be told how they should behave, what a chutzpah! Well, of course that did not work, and he refused.
After this phone conversation I called Kerstin Stakemeier, one of our professors. When she heard the story she quickly called Grossherr at the Jena police and had a similar conversation. Later on she called me back and I was guaranteed that none of the people I photographed and installed in the sewage would be bothered by the police.

So now I still have to go down to the police station and pick up the stuff. I’m trying to decide if I should reinstall my picture or put a sign explaining the story or maybe something else. The more I think of it, the madder I get. What where they thinking? I had my picture, my passport with all my information and a light shinning on it. Do they think that if I did not have permission or if I was doing something illegal or dangerous I make sure that I could be tracked down in a matter of minutes? I know that all criminals and terrorists leave fingerprints but even the bearded Semites from the middle-east are a bit more careful, not? And if you are already sending a police car from Jena to track me down can’t you wait an hour before you uninstall all of it? Maybe there is a reason for it being there lit up? There are a bunch of crazy art students running around town all week - but why think for a second that this has anything to do with it. I know someone complained and the policemen are not supposed to think. They have a protocol and they just follow, please German authorities, no thinking! Don’t try to be sensible! Follow the orders! Don’t ask questions until after you finished the job, we all know what will happen if every one will start thinking for themselves.
suspiciously dangerous Art a couple of hours before being removed

This entry was posted by ronen on Friday, January 26th, 2007 at 6:05 pm. It is filed under (un)Documented Disappearance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.