Prologue to the 15th Baltic Triennial: Remain in Zero

It[’]s just a box, without nothing in it,
It[’]s just a bone, without skin,
It[’]s just a heart, without visible body,
It[’]s just a night, without a dream.

May found your self remain in a zero.

It[’]s just a window, without v[i]ew,
It[’]s just a nightmare, away in a shore,
It[’]s just a smile, far away of love,
It[’]s just a lie, it happened many times before.

May found your self remain in a zero.

It[’]s just a box,
It[’]s just a bone,
It[’]s just a heart,
It[’]s just a night,
It[’]s just a window,
It[’]s just a nightmare,
It[’]s just a smile,
It[’]s just a lie.

Remain in zero.

—Emerson, “Remain in a Zero,” in Songs Without Music, 1984.

In 1984, Greek photographer and writer George Tourkovasilis published The Rock Diaries, an oral history of the rock, punk, disco, and new wave subcultures in Athens. In a chapter titled Elia as Emerson, he introduces Emerson as a young poet whom he met only a few times in a cafe. Emerson makes an unexpected reappearance in Tourkovasilis’ archive, which includes photographs of Emerson, letters and poems dedicated to him. The archive also contains photographs and a manuscript for a poetry collection titled Songs Without Music, twenty-two typewritten sheets of lyrics, signed by Emerson. This material does not appear to have ever been exhibited or published.

Image: Untitled c-print attributed to Elia Lekodimitri (Emerson), no date. Courtesy of the George Tourkovasilis Estate.

***

On Saturday, 26 August 2023, the 15th edition of the Baltic Triennial will host Remain in Zero: a one-day prologue at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Gedimino ave. 4, Vilnius). Taking its title from Emerson’s poem, reproduced above, the programme reflects its zeroing movement: superimposing the equalising stillness of everyday life onto the dizzying qualities it can excite. Remain in Zero is driven by the transmission of this movement and its temperaments, here conveyed through a list of its discrete elements:

Honour, live concert, 50 min., 2023.

Seiko and Casio, Roma, images, 2023.

Han-Gyeol Lie, live piano concert, 40 min., 2023.

Mette Edvardsen, No Title, performance, 30 min., 2014.

Koenraad Dedobbeleer, Insurance, mould (2013), protocol, 2023.

Julie Peeters, interventions in print, dimensions variable, 2023.

Betzy Bromberg, Voluptuous Sleep, 16mm film, optical sound, 95 min., 2011.

Emerson, “Mood for the Unknown Love,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Notes for the Universal Page,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Women Seeking Women,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Meet Somebody Special,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Walking with a Shadow,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Trapped in Limitations,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Angels Remain Angels,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “A Shine in Those Eyes,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Advices for the Life,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Just Speaking Loud,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Remain in a Zero,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Manhattan Green,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “The Evolution,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Life in Racks,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Supercrime,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “None Free,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Distraction,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Same Day,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Nowhere,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Stations,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Emerson, “Faces,” in Songs Without Music, poem, 1984.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Night, silver gelatin print, 1980.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Chair, silver gelatin print, 1980.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Door, 2, silver gelatin print, 1980.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Door, 1, silver gelatin print, 1981.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Door, 4, silver gelatin print, 1982.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Morning, silver gelatin print, 1980.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Still Life, 5, silver gelatin print, 1979.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Table Lamp, silver gelatin print, 1981.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Rainy Evening, silver gelatin print, 1980.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Premonition, 1, silver gelatin print, 1979.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Premonition, 2, silver gelatin print, 1979.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Still Life with Fish, silver gelatin print, 1980.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Interior Fragment, silver gelatin print, 1982.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Three Lampshades, silver gelatin print, 1981.

Remigijus Pačėsa, Composition with Garlic, silver gelatin print, 1979.

James Richards, Qualities of Life: Living in the Radiant Cold, single-channel video, 2K, sound, 17 min., 2022.

Margaret Raspé, Rückprojektion, Super 8 mm film, digital restoration by Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin), 18 min., 1973.

Margaret Raspé, Self-Portrait and Vice Versa, Super 8 mm film, digital restoration by Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin), 4 min., 1979.

Margaret Raspé, Blue on White Edges and Frames, Super 8 mm film, digital restoration by Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin), 18 min., 1979.

Margaret Raspé, Pat-a-Cake Pat-a-Cake, Baker’s Man, Super 8 mm film, digital restoration by Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin), 17 min., 1973.

Margaret Raspé, Oh Death, How Nourishing You Are, Super 8 mm film, digital restoration by Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin), 14 min., 1972-1973.

Margaret Raspé, The Sadist Beats the Unquestionably Innocent, Super 8 mm film, digital restoration by Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin), 6 min., 1971.

Margaret Raspé, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow – Let Them Swing!, Super 8 mm film, digital restoration by Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin), 21 min., 1974.

Draugų Vardai, afterparty, Konstitucijos ave. 12, Vilnius, Lithuania.

—The programme is subject to minor changes.

The Baltic Triennial was first held in Vilnius in 1979 as an exhibition showcasing young Baltic artists working in a non-conformist spirit. Since then, it has steadily become a major international exhibition in Northern Europe. The 15th edition of the Baltic Triennial is curated by Tom Engels and Maya Tounta. The main programme of the Triennial will take place in mid-2024 in the reopened main building of the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), Vilnius.

Remain in Zero is generously supported by the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA).