A Persimmon is variety of species of trees of the genus Diospyros, and the edible fruit borne by them. The most widely cultivated species is Diospyros kaki. The fruit is very sweet to the taste with a soft to occasionally fibrous texture. Cultivation of the fruit started in parts of East Asia, and was later introduced to California.

Diospyros kaki translates as "The Fruit of Zeus".

Zeus, is (or was) the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus, and god of the sky and thunder, in Greek mythology. His symbols are (or were) the thunderbolt, bull, eagle and the oak. When the world was divided in three, Hades received the underworld, Poseidon the sea, and Zeus the sky.

We want to honor Zeus!

We want to moan about the dreadful non-divisional monotheistic singularity! Long enough we were dominated by the concept of the God of the Abrahamic religions and/or the Platonic concept of God as put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite!

We want to eat persimmons for Zeus! In anger!

Join the force! Eat his fruit! Get a certificate!

Los Angeles, California.
Sidewalk @ 4810 Sunset Boulevard. February 23, 2007; 1 PM- 1:30 PM.

7:30pm Monday
19 February 2007
Place: Encounter Studios, 555 DeHaro Suite 120, San Francisco, CA (Google Map).

Die monochromisten Grenzfurthner und Gratzer mailen. Eine Doppelconference über Lawrence Lessig, Polen, Religion, Web 2.0, Fernsehen, Adorno und ähnliche Schlagwörter. Gehalten in Form eines zeitgemäßen Email-Austausches.

A University of Toronto staff member is protesting that the experience of Austrian art collective monochrom's performance piece "#2: Premature Burial as a Field Trial for Near Death Activities" may be too extreme for some volunteer participants.

The live art piece, to be performed tomorrow at the University of Toronto at Mississauga's Blackwood Gallery, buries volunteers in a coffin for up to 15 minutes.

Elizabeth Olszewska, community outreach co-ordinator in UTM's psychology department, says she was shocked when she received an email from the gallery inviting faculty, staff and students to get buried alive.

[...]

The Austrian art collective claims that in these conditions, someone would be able to last in the coffin for days.

[...]

"There is art and garbage. Everything that brings me down is garbage, it's not the type of art I would like to be involved in," she says.

It's not often that you get to shake the hand of the person who buries your coffin.

Johannes Grenzfurthner, one of nine members of an Austrian art collective called monochrom, greets me at the Blackwood Gallery on the campus of the University of Toronto at Mississauga.

His first words: "I am going to bury you today."

Premature Burial As A Field Trial For Near Death Activities

The people present will have an opportunity to be buried alive in a coffin for fifteen minutes. Volunteers will be able to experience a semi-traumatic situation and possibly get in close contact with various gods and/or afterlives.
As a framework program there will be lectures about the history of the science of determining death and the medical cultural history of "buried alive". People buried alive not only populate the horror stories of past centuries, but also countless reports in specialized medical literature. The theme of unintentional resurrection by grave robbers also runs through forensic protocols. Even in the 19th century it was said that every tenth person was buried alive.

February 7, 2007. Blackwood Gallery, Mississauga/University Toronto, Canada.

Detailled info:

The Austrian collective monochrom invites you to be buried alive in a private graveyard at the Blackwood Gallery on Wednesday February 7, 2007 from 4:00 pm -- 6:00 pm, and again from 7:00 pm -- 9:00 pm.

Free shuttle buses

#1) Hart House University of Toronto, 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto departing at 3:00 pm (returning at 6:00 pm)

#2) Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto departing at 6:00 pm (returning at 9:00 pm)

Tuesday February 6, 2007
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
@ Sheridan College
Art & Art History
1430 Trafalgar Road
Oakville, Ontario L6H 2H1 room B125