Out of the constitution

out of the constitution by Ines SeidelI have changed the constitution of the GDR. I cut out all the dead and abstract words. Only few words still had life inside, sometimes just one or two words per page would still speak. I gave them hold with a red thread.
out of the constitution by Ines Seidel
Now the text is in an almost transparent constitution, even the bondage of the thoughts within is exposed. The roots of the new text continue to be visible on the backside of the remaining words.
out of the constitution by Ines Seidel

Here is the poem of the amended constitution. Every line represents a page.
(rough translation).

/CHAPTER 1, Political Foundation/

in town and country clasped in the lower part
the freedom of another people
The natural resources, the mines, power stations, dams and large waters, the natural wealth of the continental shelf are fundamental
air of home
values as a matter of physical culture

/SECTION II, Citizens and Communities in the Society/

every [she] every [he]
man and woman
freed
secret
present invulnerability
the church of their mother tongue

/CHAPTER 3, The Unions and their Rights/

They take part in the revolution

/CHAPTERL 4, The Production Cooperatives and their Rights/

voluntary

/CHAPTER 1, The People’s Chamber/

actualizes evolution
for the duration of worry
fact of presence
on the 60th day on the 45th day on the 15th day

/CHAPTER 2, The State Council/

after the reelection
writes questions

/CHAPTER 3,The Council of Ministers/

It issues names
for collective cognition

/SECTION IV, Legality and Administration of Justice/

Life directly
independent – bound
being listened to
the decision to turn
The constitution changed
in power.

out of the constitution by Ines Seidel

Before I altered the complete constitution I had ripped out some pages and changed them separately. You can see them here and here. The words that I had cut out became the base of my suggestions for an organically shaped constitution, like the one below. suggestion for constitutional change by Ines Seidel

Departure of Books

signs of departure by Ines Seidel I’ve started to alter books again. I want to show the book as a temporary state of halt, before the next movement sets in.

The starting point for “signs of departure” have been a few cracked eggs which I altered with Indian ink and scraps of text. The moment of breaking the egg, the departure itself, is already over, but it can still be deduced from the shells that are left here.

signs of departure on egg shells by Ines Seidel

The second altered book is ready for departure. It has packed its valuables into a bundle. The most important thing for the new adventure has been placed at the top, where it is easy to access. And that “und” – German for “and”.
packed and ready to leave by Ines Seidel

Memories of an earlier departure influence the third book that is undergoing transformation. I transferred a photograph of a stack of wood – complete with marks for further processing – to the left side. The pattern of stacked circles and marks repeats on the pages on the right side. What the next processing phase will bring is yet unknown.
pattern of preparation by Ines Seidel

The astonished book

The astonished book - detail
The book
Got older
And into the cellar
Nine years of hope
Motionless, in yellow
End abruptly with a yearning
for simplification:
To rip out pages
Separately, in sections
Wordwise, folding the cocoon
Nine months or hours
Later, with the first sun ray
Opens slowly
The binding und releases
A tender and still unguarded
Little letter
o
The astonished book - Ines Seidel
The poem from March 2013 led to the astonished book which had a different name before its transformation.