Page 13 - Studio International - March 1974

involved, and in not responding, repercussions Appointed by Matarazzo, Dr Mario, as Beth is misunderstood. It was repeated to me that
could be grave for the future of the Bienal's inexplicably called, is a man with absolutely no Cr. $15000 (US $2500) given by IBM of Brazil
contacts in the US. Yet on 26 September the background in art. He had been, according to was to be divided among ten entries and I was
casual cancellation cable was received, though one story, formerly a football coach; but the one of them. For what reason ? For bringing
not sent directly to me, and I replied more probably accurate information is that for the tapes. Not only incidentally had the tapes
immediately with an irate but reasoned cable. years he had served as a minor politician in not yet been seen there but they also had no
All channels exhausted and my collect phone the municipality of São Paulo. idea about which tapes I had brought with me
call refused, I finally gave up and began calling While the Bienal complained of its 'technical nor had they asked. Beni converged the two
artists and galleries promising a barrage of difficulties', I had my own. I speak no items : I was to be their 'official guest' and also
public protest, when on 3o September I Portuguese and there were no official be given a prize for an exhibition which would
received a wire rescinding the cancellation. translators available, only the overburdened not take place. I wasn't interested in their
The message was most confused. While it spoke multilingual secretary, Sylvia, whose award, I kept saying : I had come here to do a
of impossible 'technical difficulties' it invited understanding and whose translations I was video exhibition; equipment could be hired
me, on the other hand, to respond so that a never certain about. Beni was the only from the States cheaply. Now, according to the
ticket could be sent if I planned to come. They administrative official in authority who spoke Executive Director, there were two choices :
were, I reasoned, either daring me to come or even a few words of English and whose either to do or not to do the show. He would
bluffing me. I had, I thought, no choice : wiring rapport with it was selective, I came to feel, consult the Bienal Board and advise me of their
a request for a ticket, I added with bravado : according to his whim and convenience. So decision tomorrow afternoon.
Will solve all technical problems upon immediately then, the language problem For that next bout two sympathetic English-
arrival', and within hours of receiving my became acute. speaking Brazilians came to my aid. It was as if
cabled ticket, boarded the plane for São Paulo. The Bienal's 'technical difficulties' the prior day's dialogue had never taken place
Because I was not connected with any concerned incompatible colour systems. But as because Beni had so absolutely turned things
institution and was not giving any official US I kept insisting during that first meeting, no around — insisting on the pseudo-colour
representation, the Bienal had probably decided colour problem exists with video cassettes. They problem, distorting the hiring figures I'd given
along the way that my programme was had assured me in their May letter that the him out of proportion, and implying that much
disposable without bothering to inform me until needed equipment would be there and now I of the difficulty was my fault. But in the
pressures mounted and they were forced to act. repeatedly asked to see the cassette playback presence of witnesses he was forced after
Perhaps then, what seemed to me to be a machines I had described (by letter and cable). rounds of repetition to correctly hear the
phantom technical problem was their official Only when an aide carried in a still-boxed information I was giving him. Another two
excuse for dispensing with me and my almost audio cassette tape recorder did I realize that hours had just gone by. He still wanted to cancel
seven hours of tape by seventeen artists. Not from the beginning they had never bothered to and have me as his 'official guest' and it seemed
optimistic, I simply wished to expediently check into the equipment (even though they obvious that it had been Beni's original
mount the show, collect the owed moneys and had had no idea of what I was talking about). intention to make such a pronouncement that
perhaps even have a bit of time to enjoy Brazil. Now phone calls were made and it was afternoon. But as he well knew, I had begun to
There would be no time for tourism, I quickly discovered that there were only three or four explain the situation to a number of people so
discovered the morning I arrived, and was video cassette playback units in the entire that it was becoming more and more difficult for
ushered into the chaos of the Bienal, on the eve country. him to fabricate.
of its opening. I returned to a second conference that After a consultation between Beni and
evening and was told that it was not possible to Matarazzo, early that evening it was finally
borrow or hire any of these three or four units. settled — so to speak. Shaking hands with each
In Jean-Luc Godard's Band of Outsiders, the A fluent English-speaking technical consultant of them, I was told by Beni that they wanted 'no
three protagonists race through the Louvre on joined us. Soon I saw that he was there as the trouble'. What a blow; they were forced into
roller skates, competing against the record time authority figure in such technical matters to spending money for an exhibition they cared
established for that edifice by Jimmy the persuade me of the impossibility of proceeding nothing about and knew even less about.
American. As I surveyed the huge open spaces on the project. The Ministry of Communication But the difficulties weren't over, I knew. I was
and the wide curving ramps connecting floor to had recently decreed that one particular colour told that shipping, via the US Embassy, should
floor in the Oscar Niemeyer building which system would be authorized for use in broadcast take only a few days, but of course I hadn't
houses the Bienal, I kept wondering whether and closed circuit playback in Brazil. All counted on endemically malfunctioning
there might be some similar record there. But I cassettes use another, now unauthorized system. telephones, on cables marked 'urgent' taking
never had the time to enquire, let alone to make But this was clearly a pseudo-problem; I knew several days to reach the US, and on Columbus
or break any records. Most of my time at the that if the Bienal was concerned enough, a Day and a Brazilian holiday occurring within
Niemeyer building was spent in marathon waiver could be got or more simply the the same week. But these were not the only
sessions in the administration offices or arguing programme would just proceed and no one problems. The following day Beni insisted that I
upstairs at the site of the installation which would really know the difference as only about should sign two documents in Portuguese with
they didn't even begin to construct until days one-sixth of the total was in colour. I continued no written translation, but only an oral one by
after my arrival. to dismiss this issue and suggested two choices Sylvia. I've forgotten all the conditions given,
That first afternoon I was introduced to as I quoted first rental and then purchase prices but one of them implied, without directly
Francisco Matarazzo Sobrinho, the ancient for equipment from the US. Beth immediately stating, that my project could or might still be
President of the Bienal, and Mario Beth, its added a third choice — that I be the Bienal's cancelled if the equipment had not yet arrived,
Executive Director. Matarazzo, described to me `official guest' and they would in turn forget as I had promised, on the following Wednesday —
by one source as the 'Rockefeller of Brazil' about the exhibition altogether. As he kept four days hence. I refused to sign, threw an
(and by another as having been awarded by repeating his preference over and over I intimidation back on him, and he finally
Italy for having taken so many unemployed continued to reject it. Finally, I was told that relented.
immigrants and given them factory jobs in as one of a number of entries in 'Art and This became a semi-final acquiescence on
Brazil), pioneered the São Paulo event in 1951 Communication' I had won an award. I was Beni's part. Now for the fourth time in five
and continues to back it and largely control it certain this time that something was genuinely months I gave the Bienal the room dimensions
for all practical and most ideological purposes. lost in the translation and that I must have and they promised to begin building on Monday.
99