Housebroken

Urban & Internet Project

Paris, July 8, 1999

vacuume bowl.JPG (9623 bytes)
Sample of a vacuum-packed tower of infested bread-bowls delivered to 20 medical specialists in Paris

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

I build model cities. My building blocks are bread-bowls baked in a baker's oven.

The bread-bowl is a visual marker that refers back to the origins of civilization and the first cities. I use it to explore contemporary notions of place, where "the principle of containment no longer serves a self-evident prerequisite of order". Instead, place as container breaks up and in so doing discloses the problematic consequences of an ordering that can no longer be taken for granted". (Samuel Weber)

Cereal insects known as weevils invaded the bread-bowls. These creatures began consuming the Model City from the inside out. This chance event instigated the psychogeographical project: "Housebroken" (as in braking and entering a dwelling).

"Housebroken" involved the participation of medical doctors practicing in Paris. 20 doctors received infested, vacuum-packed bread-bowls and an invitation to participate in a discussion about wellness in the urban environment.

Conversations about medical disorders, gave way to discussions about social disorders. My aim was to build a space for speculation.

Responses involved:

interviews

Interviews with doctors



WORK PLAN

weevilbowl_bed.jpeg (17442 bytes)


The map: A trajectory was marked out within a concentrated area of a Paris map around Gare St. Lazare, where streets are named after world cities (Milan, Budapest, Madrid...).

The real space of the city:
On-site investigation of these streets, revealed the names and telephone numbers of 20 medical specialists, posted at the threshold of their building.

"La (de) marche":
Following the trajectory marked out in the city map, a vacuum-packed tower of bread-bowls addressed to each doctor was delivered, on July 8th '99, at their doorstep with the following note:

HOUSEBROKEN

1tower1.JPG (6463 bytes)

Deliver us from


we-evil

weevil@iname.com

A project description and a request for a participatory reply was included.

Each doctor was asked to contribute an email reply to two questions:


1) What destiny do you reserve this infested object?

2) How do you, as a medical specialist define the frontier between order and disorder?


weevils.jpeg (16762 bytes)

The Map: Location - Paris, Gare St. Lazare and surrounding area

Vacuum-packed bowls were deposited at a number of doctors' offices located in streets with the following city names: ...rue de Londres, rue de Constantinople, rue d'Athenes, rue de Milan, rue de Liege, rue d'Amsterdam, rue de Turin...

Housebrokenmap2.JPG (47850 bytes)


credits

Project by: Pat Badani  team members: Petra Brand and Jacky Idée

And the help of: Jocelyne Hubert, Carole Théot, Jann Martel, Sybille Badamie et la Société MULTIVAC, Petra Berger

Dr. Michael Bravo / Dr. Monique Horvitz / Dr. Marc Perez



Projects 2006 - 1999
-New Media Projects
-Where Life is Better
-Housebroken
Projects 1999 - 1997
-Cultures & Ferments
-Borderlines
-Tower-Tour
Projects 1997 - 1993
-Géographiques
-R'èvolution des Particules
-Photo/Drawing
Professional Information
-Biographic Note
-C.V.
-Statement / Texts
e-mail: pbadani@ilstu.edu


all images © Pat Badani 1990-2006