Diapositivo 1

A TETRIC AND NEFARIOUS FARCEA play in two acts and a half by Suy / So Ludovino. Painting by DAVID M. BOWERS. Music by Cowboy Junkies, Murder, Tonight, in the Trailer Park. David M. Bowers, White Meat.

A TETRIC AND NEFARIOUS FARCEACT I

Lying in the street is the body of someone who was murdered. The team responsible for crime investigation arrives and questions the deceased.

in two acts and a half David M. Bowers, Blue Sky.

Investigators - But what is this? What are you doing lying on the street?(Let us assume that the deceased, though dead, can speak.)

Murdered - Is it not obvious that I'm dead? I have three bullets lodged in the heart and two other crumbled my brain ... What other evidence do you need?

David Michael Bowers, The Three Graces.

Investigators The fact that your heart has stopped and your brain has been made into porridge does not mean you're actually dead. You may very well be pretending! You will need to demonstrate it with clear evidence. Moreover, even if you were really dead, you couldnt be lying in the middle of the street, in a pool of blood. What a lack of civility and sense of opportunity! At least you could have chosen the municipal rubbish dump ... there we might do a blind eye and let you delivered to the ravens without further hassle.

David Michael Bowers, The Pig Walker.

Murdered - But it was not supposed to be you, sirs, to verify that I am actually dead (that's what forensic medicine experts are for) should not be you, sirs, to clarify the facts that you already know and can see with your own eyes (I have three bullets in my heart and the two that tore my brain must be around here), should not be you, sirs, to seek out the murderers, to identify them and bring them to court to be tried?

David M. Bowers, Crocodile Tears

Investigators - What? He dares to accuse us of irregularities in the process? If you persevere in this inadmissible conduct, youll be taken to court for disrespecting the authorities!

David M. Bowers, The Secret - Self Portrait.

ACT II During a long silence, the investigators take notes on yellow blocks, take dozens of photographs, collect drops of blood, hair and a halo of light that remained glued to the only intact part of the forehead. Meanwhile, the deceased mused to himself.

David M. Bowers, Lost Inheritance.

Murdered (to himself) This is a curious world! As if it was not enough the absurdity of the human condition (born to die), there are gears with a single purpose: to reverse everything, transform reality into fiction and vice versa, turn the truth into lie and vice versa, turn what it seems in what it is and vice versa, turn life into death endlessly ... until death actually arrives. David Michael Bowers, Little Tiny.

Investigators (talking to each other)Inv.1 - As for me, we should not let this audacity pass unpunished. The penal code should increase the penalties for this rebel scum. Who pretend to be dead, regardless of the circumstances and evidence they try to present, should be sentenced to a maximum of 500 years. This would teach them to respect those who lead and decide what can or can not happen, what is true or not.

David M. Bowers, Fall From Grace.

Inv 2 - I totally agree with you, buddy! If we recognize that he is actually dead, we open a terrible precedent! Can you see what could happen if, because of little things like stopped hearts, smashed brains, anyone could claim that is dead and had the right to know why, how, for what reason and could condemn the charitable souls who are dedicated to these praiseworthy tasks? If that happened, it would be quite possible that those charitable souls even refuse to provide more services. It would be the chaos in our world! It's decided: we'll teach him a lesson that he will not forget.

David M. Bowers, The Cock Thief.

ACT II Investigators - Well, my dear, if you want to play the smart guy, can you please identify yourself, right now!Murdered - Even if I wanted I could not. Before being killed, I was robbed. They took everything I had. I have no way of identifying myself.

David Michael Bowers, The Last Supper.

Investigators - Ah ha! So you want to convince us that you are dead but you cant even identify yourself. Well, then we tell you who you really are: youre nobody! And nobody" doesnt born or die, it is a mere piece in the gear while it is useful in the gear. David Michael Bowers, Green Business Exhibition: Art of Living.

Murdered So you recognize that you are here only to frame me? In that perfect world of yours isnt there authentic people, someone simple and transparent to whom things are what they actually are?

David Michael Bowers, Minimum Wage, 2005.

Investigators - Do not ask ridiculous questions, my dear. We are going to arrest you for pretending to be dead, for disrespecting the authorities, for refusing to identify yourself and, of course, for obstructing and dirtying the public street.

David Michael Bowers, Birds of a Feather Exhibition: The Human Condition.

Murdered Then this is the final verdict of this farce?

David M. Bowers, The Bee Keepers.

David Michael Bowers, Bad Day in Toyland, 2005.Investigators - If you wont shut up immediately, maybe there will be other more harmful consequences that your crumbled brain can not even imagine. Plus: everything you said or will say will always be used against you, as our universal and particular law prescribes.

Murdered Can I say goodbye to the sun one last time? David Michael Bowers, The Rainbow Catcher.

Investigators - Do not even try! In this area of the gear in particular are not admitted outbursts of lyrical sensitivity. And it's not worth talking about sad things like bullets, stopped hearts or brains smashed. In our world, those who can speak and act accordingly to their will perfectly know that "we live in the best of all possible worlds!SUY (Conceio Ludovino) - 17/5/2007

UMA FARSA TTRICA E NEFANDAem dois actos e meioACTO I Estendido na rua est o corpo de algum que foi assassinado. Chega a equipa responsvel pela investigao do crime e questiona o defunto.Investigadores Mas o que isto? O que que o senhor est a fazer estendido no meio da rua? (Admitamos que o defunto, apesar de morto, pode falar.)Assassinado No evidente que estou morto? Tenho trs balas alojadas no corao e duas outras esmigalharam-me o crebro... De que outras provas precisam?Investigadores L por o corao ter parado e o crebro estar feito em papa, isso no significa que esteja efectivamente morto. Pode muito bem estar a fingir! Ter de demonstr-lo com provas inequvocas. Alm disso, mesmo que estivesse morto, no poderia estar estendido no meio da rua, ainda por cima a esvair-se em sangue. Que falta de civismo e de sentido de oportunidade! Ao menos podia ter escolhido a lixeira municipal... a, talvez fizssemos vista grossa e o deixssemos entregue aos corvos sem mais incmodos.Assassinado Mas no era suposto serem os senhores a verificar que estou efectivamente morto ( para isso que servem os peritos em medicina legal), no deveriam ser os senhores a esclarecer os factos que j conhecem e podem constatar com os vossos prprios olhos (tenho trs balas no corao e as duas que me desfizeram o crebro devem estar por a), no deveriam ser os senhores a procurar os assassinos, a identific-los e a lev-los barra do tribunal para que sejam julgados?Investigadores O qu? Atreve-se a acusar-nos de irregularidades no processo? Se perseverar nessa conduta inadmissvel quem ser levado barra do tribunal o senhor por desrespeito para com as autoridades!ACTO II Durante um longo silncio, os investigadores tomam notas em blocos amarelos, tiram dezenas de fotografias, recolhem gotas de sangue, cabelos e uma aurola luminosa que persistia colada nica parte intacta da testa. Enquanto isso, o defunto meditava para consigo.Assassinado (de si para si) - Curioso mundo este! Como se no bastasse o absurdo da condio humana (nascer para morrer), existem engrenagens com uma nica finalidade: inverter tudo, transformar a realidade em fico e vice-versa, transformar a verdade em mentira e vice-versa, transformar o parecer em ser e vice-versa, transformar a vida em morte interminavelmente... at que a morte chegue de facto.Investigadores (conversando entre si) (original, in Portuguese)

Inv.1 Por mim, no devamos deixar passar impune esta audcia. O cdigo penal devia agravar as penas para esta escria rebelde. Quem se fingir morto, independentemente das circunstncias e das provas, devia ser condenado a uma pena mxima de 500 anos. Era para aprenderem a respeitar quem manda e decide o que pode ou no pode acontecer, o que ou no verdade.Inv. 2 Estou inteiramente de acordo contigo, parceiro! Se reconhecemos que est de facto morto, abrimos um precedente terrvel! J viste o que poderia acontecer se, por causa de ninharias como coraes parados, crebros esmigalhados, qualquer um pudesse alegar que est morto e que tem direito a saber porqu, como, para qu e a querer condenar as almas caridosas que se dedicam a estas tarefas benemritas? Se isso acontecesse, at era provvel que aquelas almas caridosas se recusassem a prestar mais servios. Era o caos neste nosso mundo! Est decidido: vamos dar-lhe uma lio de que no vai esquecer-se. ACTO II e Investigadores Bem, meu caro, se quer armar-se em esperto, faa o favor de se identificar, e j!Assassinado Mesmo que quisesse no poderia. Antes de ser morto, fui roubado. Levaram tudo o que tinha. No tenho qualquer meio de me identificar.Investigadores Ah ha! Com que ento quer dar-se por morto e nem sequer pode identificar-se. Pois muito bem, eu digo-lhe quem : ningum! E ningum no nasce nem morre; uma mera peazinha da engrenagem enquanto tiver utilidade na engrenagem. Assassinado Reconhecem, ento, que esto aqui apenas para me tramar? Nesse vosso mundo perfeito no haver gente autntica, algum simples e transparente para quem as coisas sejam o que efectivamente so?Investigadores No faa perguntas ridculas, meu caro. Vamos det-lo por fingir-se morto, por desrespeito para com as autoridades e por recusar identificar-se e, claro, por obstruir e sujar a via pblica.Assassinado - esse, ento, o ltimo veredicto desta farsa?Investigadores Se no se calar j, talvez haja ainda outras consequncias mais nefastas que o seu crebro esmigalhado no consegue sequer imaginar. E mais: tudo o que disse ou vier a dizer ser sempre utilizado contra si, tal como prev a nossa lei particular e universal.Assassinado Posso dizer adeus ao sol uma ltima vez?Investigadores Nem tente! Nesta zona da engrenagem em particular no admitimos lricos ou acessos de sensibilidade. E no vale a pena falar de coisas tristes, como balas, coraes parados ou crebros esmigalhados. Neste nosso mundo, todos aqueles que podem falar e agir segundo a sua vontade sabem perfeitamente que vivemos no melhor dos mundos possveis! SUY (Conceio Ludovino), 17/5/2007

TITLE: A TETRIC AND NEFARIOUS FARCE

IMAGES: Painting by DAVID M. BOWERS Site oficial: http://www.dmbowers.com/David Bowers, born 1956 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and graduated from art school in Pittsburgh in 1979. He began working as a staff artist at various studios in Pittsburgh. Two years later, David began teaching at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where he lectured for ten years. This job was perfect for Bowers at the time due to the short hours in the classroom. These short workdays enabled a lot of free time to perfect his painting technique before he entered the illustration field. TEXT: A Tetric and Nefarious Farce, a play in two acts and a half, by Suy / So LudovinoMUSICSource: CD from my personal archive.Slide 1 to 21: Cowboy Junkies, Murder, Tonight, in the Trailer Park, from the album Black Eyed Man, 1992.DURATION: about 4:33 minutes.DATE: September 2010.SELECTION, ORGANIZATION AND EFFECTS: Suy (Conceio Ludovino).

Suy 2010

TECHNICAL DATA / CREDITS