Day 1 is about the beginning, not starting from zero but from a tapestry of multifaceted elements. These elements encompass a myriad of memories, like a prehistory of beings woven together from diverse threads. Within this narrative, the concept of multiple deaths and revivings emerges, illustrating a process of active becoming, remolding, and renaming. Furthermore, the exploration extends to comprehending the idea of multiple destinies, emphasizing the inherent impermanence that characterizes existence.
Susan Kooi’s series of works, “Australopithecus (2453900 BCE)”, “Comet Vintage”, “Timeless People: Can we be human without objects?”, and “When A Girl Wants” invite viewers on a journey through the intricate layers of existence, where beginnings intertwine with pasts, deaths morph into rebirths, and destinies unfold amidst impermanence’s shifting currents.
“Australopithecus (2453900 BCE)” depicts early hominid species Australopithecus and baboons. In the original version, the Australopithecus attacks baboons with tools: a bone and a rock. In this retouched version, they consume fermented grapes while a comet flies over. 2453900 BCE, the year in the title is precise — a calculated moment when Halley's Comet may have been visible with the naked eye from Earth. The gesture is small and total. Violence replaced by appetite, prehistory reframed around pleasure rather than dominance.
"Comet Vintage" extends the timeline forward: a fictional wine from 2061, the year the same comet is predicted to pass over France during harvest season. The bottle doesn't exist yet, already named.
“Timeless People: Can we be human without objects?” features fruits and vegetables cut to resemble stone tools. Silkscreen tablecloths and napkins from an early human settlement excavation add an extra naive touch, the domestic over the archaeological, the feminine archive over the official one. History becomes herstory not through argument but through formal substitution.
“When A Girl Wants” (lyrics and vocals by Susan Kooi and Henna Hyvärinen) bases its lyrics on translated ancient graffiti from Pompeii. By channeling voices from the past, we bind to our predecessors in a shared humanity. The phrase "When a Girl Wants" taps into this deep well of collective yearning, where personal longing becomes a universal echo.
When a girl wants
I had in mind the design
The arms that are familiar to my shoulders
When a girl wants
When a girl wants
I have not seen you, lady, She-bear
Bendingoverwise Victoria, I'm beaten
Possessed a thousand times
Three currencies
A pierced heart
My puppet
When a girl wants
When a girl wants
The breeze whirls me
A demigod
Now harsh now soft, now no
Take a step back
Who ever is in love go to hell
Face changed
When a girl wants
When a girl wants
No spirit in this world so cruel
Hang up your sword
Follow where your friends call
What shall i do with you twinkling eyes
Giving off a signal in Hollow bronze
My puppet
When a girl wants
When a girl wants
