Day 4

TEMPERATURE: 61 degrees

WEATHER: sunny with some clouds

NUMBER of OTHER PEOPLE: 19

STEPS WALKED INSIDE THE BUILDING: 1578

TOTAL TIME SPENT INSIDE INSTALLATION: 2 hours

 

I sit on the dark side waiting for people tocome by so I can watch their reactions. I like being in there around other people. I am almost convinced I see a man I knew twelve years ago. His walk, posture, wife are all the same. It compels me so much that I need to follow them, out through the transitional screens and into the llgiht. i wave at a docent and my boots pound against the concrete with more urgency than they should. I catch up to them. The wife, who has smiled at me before, now surveys me with perplexity and concern. It’s not him. But I wonder what kind of bardo this place might actually be. 

 

Overheard inside the Irwin today:

 

Person turning the corner from dark side to transition: “Is there supposed to be another screen?”

 

Couple with docent walking up to transition: 

Person 1: “It’s good huh?” 

Person 2: “Oh. So interesting.” 

Docent: “You can’t take pictures.” 

 

Person walking from dark to light side: “Are these 50 shades of grey?”