The Disappearance Piece

The Disappearance Piece is initially made for The Powder Room, curated by Babak Affrassiabi in Rotterdam in 1998. On a platform (366 x 366 cm) a little bench was placed, an edition of 100 books were layed out, wrapped up in envelopes. The book, entitled ?How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found? by D. Richmond (published by publisher Loompanics), is a self-help instruction book about planning a disappearance, arranging a new identity, pseudocide and more. Eighty four packages were taken by the public, however the public was not invited or encouraged to do so: this was up to themselves. In order to take a bag one had to step onto the platform.

In 2000 the piece was re-installed in Trailer, a group show at Greene Naftali Gallery, New York (USA). Again 100 bags with content were placed on a bench, this time with no platform. After the end of the exhibition, 4 bags were left.

Publisher Loompanics went out of business in 2006, no more copies could be obtained, and none of the people behind Loompanics could be localised anymore, which is why Bik Van der Pol (after communications with publishers who knew and were friends with Loompanics) made 'personalized' reprints of 1000 copies for Art in General25 Years Later in 2007,

The Disappearance Piece

again another 1000 for For Reasons of State, ISP Whitney Program 2008 in The Kitchen, New York, and another 6000 copies for Nam Jun Paik Art Center (2008).

The copies were always free of charge and could be taken by the public.