zondag 3 november 2013

A new suit


I never thought I would ever wear a jogging suit in public. Emilia's suit. Three pieces again, sweatshirt, trousers and a t-shirt in a matching colour.
I left Amsterdam in the middle of August in a three piece walking suit. I wore it every day while walking and afterwards while being in the Nomadic Village. In the Nomadic Village I opened a memory shop. I sewed memories into peoples' pockets. I left the Nomadic Vilage in my suit, flew to Portugal to do a project in the mountains. When I arrived in Portugal, in Covas do Monte, there was no time to think about changing cloths. I was late, everybody was ready to harvest the corn. I was dropped in the middle of nowhere, I roled up my sleeves, I worked. That day and other days. Sometimes on my art project, sometimes in the fields.
One day we were picking grapes, it started raining, we got soaked. The rest of the afternoon we spent in Emilia's kitchen. She searched for dry clothes. She told me I could keep them.
A new suit. As comfortable as the other one. Different though. But it makes sense. Thoreaux writes we shouldn't procure new cloths as long as we haven't become a new person. These people changed me. They taught me a lot. Just by doing what they do every day, by sharing their life with me, even if it was only for 2,5 weeks.
Emilia's suit. I wear it with pride. Today it will bring me back to Amsterdam. And it makes sense. To arrive in a mountain village in a three piece walking suit and to arrive in the big city in a jogging suit. Turning the world upside down. Or even better: let it happen by itself.