Brainwashing Cocktail, 1996, Mrs. Brainwash Galerie Interglotzvisionen Berlin
performance
While the public was waiting outside, in front of the closed gallery, people where asking: What was the purpose of the equipment which was placed inside the gallery? Rumors and speculations where going around! At one moment, an unknown person came into the gallery from the back room. The person had a white cap, a white mask, white jacket, white skirt, white tights and white shoes – giving the impression of a doctor or a nurse. Before she came to the front of the gallery where the equipment and the tools where placed, she put on white hygienic gloves. She gave the impression that she was ready to act. The lady in white put one black bag on the desk, which she brought with her. She opened it. Then she slowly picked up the first see-through plastic bag and unzipped it, she got the ingredients out of the plastic bag. Inside it was a brain. She took the brain and put it into a half-filled glass of water. Then she opened the second see-through plastic bag. From there she took several pieces of excrements/shit. One by one she threw all pieces inside the glass of water. She took a mixer and switch it on. The sound of the rotating blades could be heard from outside the gallery. The metallic stick of the mixer was slowly being placed inside the cup. In the clear water the swimming brain and pieces of excrements started to rotate and to be cut by the blades of the mixer. She put the machine in and out several times. In a few seconds the ingredients turned to a thick brown froth. After she mix it well, she field an empty cup with the thick froth slowly and then she closed it with a hermetic cover*. The Cocktail was ready. She placed the cup in front of the window, took the gloves off and left the room.
*The closed cup/”the brainwashing cocktail”, was removed from the gallery the next day. The reason was that the smell of the cocktail was so strong that it was impossible for the gallerist, to work inside the gallery. Even after the cup was removed from the gallery, the gallery continued to smell for the next couple of days.