ANDREAS MEINICH: "A Wave From It All"
STANDARD (OSLO)
PRESS RELEASE
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ANDREAS MEINICH
"A WAVE FROM IT ALL"
01.04.2016-07.05.2016 / Preview: Friday 01.04.2016 / 19.00-21.00
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"Everyone knows that renaming your boat will bring nothing but bad luck and make your boating experience something that you will want to forget. But what happens when, after months of searching, you find your dreamboat with a name that you just cannot live with. For example, my first love was a 28-foot Alden with the most beautiful lines I'd ever seen. She was named Perfidious. How could anything this graceful be named betrayer of trust? Well, I never bought her, but I often thought that if I had, I would have renamed her Magic, after my wife.
Renaming a boat is, of course, not something to be done lightly. Since the beginning of time, sailors have sworn that there are unlucky ships and the unluckiest ships of all are those who have defied the gods and changed their names. So, is there a way to change a name and not incur the wrath of those deities that rule the elements? Yes, Virginia, there is. According to legend, each and every vessel is recorded by name in the Ledger of the Deep and is known personally to Poseidon, or Neptune, the god of the sea. It is logical therefore, if we wish to change the name of our boat, the first thing we must do is to purge its name from the Ledger of the Deep and from Poseidon's memory. This is an involved process beginning with the removal or obliteration of every trace of the boat's current identity. This is essential and must be done thoroughly. I once went through the ceremony after the owner had assured me that every reference to his boat's old name had been purged from her. A couple of weeks later, he discovered he had missed a faded name on her floating key chain. I advised him to start over, perhaps with a little extra libation for the ruler of the sea. Unfortunately, he declined.
Since then, his boat has been struck by lightning, had its engine ruined by the ingress of the sea, been damaged by collision and finally sunk! It pays to be thorough. In purging your boat, it is acceptable to use White-Out or some similar obliterating fluid to expunge the boat's name from log books, engine and maintenance records etc., but it is much easier to simply remove the offending document from the boat and start afresh. Don't forget the life rings and especially the transom and forward name boards. Do not under any circumstances carry aboard any item bearing your boat's new name until the purging and renaming ceremonies have been completed!
Once you are certain every reference to her old name has been removed from her, all that is left to do is to prepare a metal tag with the old name written on it in water-soluble ink. You will also need a bottle of reasonably good Champagne. Plain old sparkling wine won't cut it. Since this is an auspicious occasion, it is a good time to invite your friends to witness and to party. Begin by invoking the name of the ruler of the deep as follows:
Oh mighty and great ruler of the seas and oceans, to whom all ships and we who venture upon your vast domain are required to pay homage, implore you in your graciousness to expunge for all time from your records and recollection the name (here insert the old name of your vessel) which has ceased to be an entity in your kingdom. As proof thereof, we submit this ingot bearing her name to be corrupted through your powers and forever be purged from the sea. (At this point, the prepared metal tag is dropped from the bow of the boat into the sea.)In grateful acknowledgment of your munificence and dispensation, we offer these libations to your majesty and your court. (Pour at least half of the bottle of Champagne into the sea from East to West. The remainder may be passed among your guests.)
It is usual for the renaming ceremony to be conducted immediately following the purging ceremony, although it may be done at any time after the purging ceremony. For this portion of the proceedings, you will need more Champagne, much more because you have a few more gods to appease."
- Capt. Pat: "Ceremony for Renaming Your Boat"
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Andreas Meinich (b 1985, Stavanger) lives and works in Oslo, where he graduated from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts in 2011. Previous exhibitions include "No Bad Days" at Kalmar Konstmusem; "The Jogging Temporary" at Perfect Present, Copenhagen and "Bartholomew". at Gallery Steinsland Berliner, Stockholm. On the occasion of the exhibition there will also be a launch of the publication, "Nirvana", released by Kniven Press.
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Installation photography: Vegard Kleven
