CLOSE as hands open a foil wonton...drop crystal chunks into a glass pipe...heat the pipe over the stove until the crystals liquefy and start to sublime. "Ilya" and "Dasha" relax at the beach campsite. "Ilya" takes a deep pull on the pipe as he clocks... "Ilya" exhales -- and his lids lower dangerously, his face reminding us of a young lion overlooking the Serengeti plain. Of an apex predator.

"ILYA"

Sometimes I wonder if they were all created for us. If they had any life before we showed up. Sometimes it seems like nothing exists until we get there...till we put eyes on it. Like the whole fucking world was manufactured just for our wants and needs.

"DASHA" on her phone Think it'll be a nice sunset?

"ILYA" I mean, if I look away...turn my head for a second here...would they all stop moving? Shut down? Just go into some energy-saving hibernation mode until the time I choose to reactivate them by simply....

He looks back. The people on the beach are moving again. Just like he expected.

"ILYA" It's like...like reality doesn't exist until we get there.... It's you who helps create this -- this fever-dream of immortality. You're the privileged witness who's going to help me lead a hundred different lives. It's you.

She dumps his hand.

***

The idea was to make a no stress phone-documented show at a remote island w/out any tools and using mostly local supplies. We engaged with three locations in a walking distance from our temporary place of residence – Villa Armonia, which means harmony, but I can tell you.. Actually, I'd rather not. There are holes the size of a heartache in this story. However, there's a narrative re second location (36°25'17.2"N 28°09'43.1"E) that I'd love to share. Our source is the local restaurant owner, T.

N and M are brothers. N is a well-off person that has just acquired a sweet piece of land on the seaside to build a concrete commercial structure there. As it's happening, his brother M is driving a Jeep with his close friend, and it's winter, so the sea is going crazy. The freeway area is overcome by huge waves. They find two bodies and a crushed Jeep a few km away later. N is devastated, as he was really close with his brother. He halts the construction and unsuccessfully tries to sell the asset. The land and the modernist carcasse of the structure are to be are left intact for around 10 years when we find them to install our silly shit.

Unfortunately, I'm too lazy to dig into the story of the third location (36°25'03.2"N 28°09'49.1"E), since it's supposed to be a relaxed summer show. Hell, I can't even tell you how old that building is. Cicadas are going crazy there though, so maybe it means something. When we brought in the half of supplies to install and stepped away for a bit, there was a fresh dog dump in the corner. One thing I know – some lousy dog loves to use this place as a restroom. It looks like the building is falling apart, but you can purchase it for nothing I guess. Maybe you even gonna find some of our sculptures there.

As for the first location (36°25'16.4"N 28°09'57.1"E) – well, it's just a beach bar. Nothing to see there.

It was a good ride. Fuck summer and please remember it is always a battle against the Sun.

— Ilya Smirnov

July 7, 2019. 36°25'15.0"N 28°09'46.4"E
24.6.19 — 9.7.19

Rhodes, Greece