Gob Squad are in London and they are attempting to ‘save the world before it ends’, to create an archive in order ‘save’ twenty-four hours for the future. This twenty-four hours is time which we all share, to which we are all subjected. I would like to share my twenty-four hours on the 8 April 2009 with you.
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10:00 It was two days before Gob Squad’s performance and I was arriving at the Royal Festival Hall for a meeting. I was aware that Gob Squad were filming today, that they were collecting the material for their piece, Saving the World. I was aware that they were somewhere on the Southbank, somewhere very near by. I knew that they had been filming for about 12 hours already, from the previous night, but I was not sure exactly where they were. I was meeting my colleagues James and John, we were getting a coffee and we were going for a cigarette on the outdoor terrace of the Royal Festival Hall, it was feeling like it was going to be a good day. The sun was shining and we were sitting there for five or so minutes before going inside and starting our meeting.
Meanwhile...Gob Squad are saving the world.
12:00 Our meeting was going well, it was a very important meeting and we were covering a lot of ground. The meeting was ending and we were saying goodbye to each other. I was left standing alone, taking a moment to watch a live video feed of a concert being performed in the concert hall. The orchestra was made up of young people playing all sorts of instruments. I was spending some time trying to connect to the free wireless but wasn’t succeeding, so I was leaving, somewhat despondent.
Meanwhile...Gob Squad are saving the world.
13:00 I was getting on my bike and visiting various commercial buildings, on behalf of the chartered surveyors that I was working for, in order to get a bit of money together. This was going well, I was getting a lot done. I was visiting 47 different addresses, mainly offices and I was having some lunch in a churchyard in the City of London.
Meanwhile...Gob Squad are saving the world.
18:00 I was arriving once again at the Royal Festival Hall to meet my brother to see the Victoria and Tim Etchells show That Night Follows Day. It was not starting for a while so we were going down to the Southbank itself and without much fuss we were noticing this small booth/hut on the concourse, with writing on the front which was saying:
‘Gob Squad presents Saving the World’
It was a ramshackle booth/hut, with fluorescent light tubes crudely attached to the font. There were a series of small video cameras, all made by Sony, in a semicircle on a platform, protected from rain by the booth/hut. Behind this there were people sitting on chairs and rummaging in boxes.
Meanwhile...Gob Squad are saving the world.
18:35 I was having a short chat with someone called Laura who was holding a black clipboard with lots of writing on it and it seemed she was directing proceedings. She was saying that she couldn’t talk for long, she was saying that she was very busy and that really, she needed me for ‘her film’. I was feeling like I was, in someway, important in all of this. She was taking me by the arm – there was clearly not a moment to waste – she was saying, “when you see the pink umbrella step into this circle and look at the camera…okay?”. Okay…and then, almost from nowhere, about five other people were taking up positions around the booth/hut. Okay...I knew that there was no planning time, no thinking time for any of this…the pink umbrella was appearing and I was finding myself following the instructions:–
Standing in the circle and looking into the camera.
Meanwhile...Gob Squad are saving the world.
19:45 That Night Follows Day was beginning in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. I was watching the performance and afterwards was being bought a drink by the person standing in front of me in the queue – it was pure generosity. I was discussing the show with my brother and with my friends.
Meanwhile...Gob Squad are saving the world
21:30 We were going back down to the Southbank again, back to the booth/hut and this time it was my brother and my friend John (I had the meeting in the morning with John) who were being taken by the arm by Laura. They were being asked to stand in the circle and to talk in to their mobile phones. They were standing in the circles and looking into the cameras, they were doing their bit. I was standing in the background having a cigarette.
Meanwhile...Gob Squad are saving the world
22:00 We were going to Waterloo station, we had found ourselves taking the long way round. My brother was getting annoyed, he wanted to walk over the bridge to Embankment station – he was thinking that it was a nicer view that way. We were getting on the tube, at Waterloo, and going home - we were ending the day, sleeping.
Meanwhile...Gob Squad are saving the world
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