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Performance Transit 1, 1996
Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, France |
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| TRANSIT 1 |
At a time when I often had to make flight transfers at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, the police systematically searched me. It seemed as though policemen took sheer pleasure in rummaging through my suitcases. So I had the idea of giving them a real opportunity to exercise their talent. I had spent a few days in Cameroon. Just before returning to France, I sculpted three suitcases out of solid wood which I took as luggage. When I arrived in Roissy, to the astonishment of the passengers and children in particular, I placed my suitcases on my trolley. The children’s surprise and excitement ended up creating a little group around me which alerted the security. And so security guards arrived and took me straight to the transport police, who then took over and escorted me to the customs office. There, the police started literally scrutinising my luggage and wanting to open everything. They subjected these three wooden suitcases to an impressive arsenal: X-rays, ultraviolet lights, lasers, and then they scanned the three suspect objects on their computer screen. This check took two hours.
translation by Caroline Hancock |
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performances