FOOOOTBALLLL
FOOOOTBALLLL is a land art installation coming in the shape of outdoors game.The shape of the FOOOOTBALLLL pitch is achieved from the basis of the original football field to which perpendicularly is added a second identical one. The ball remains one, the new configuration of the game results in the number of teams being doubled and there are now four goal lines instead of two. The possibilities to score are tripled as are the number of opponents. The level of difficulty is increased but so are the opportunities. The original rules of the games remain, but new strategies can be applied.
The first ever FOOOOTBALLLL land art installation was created in Citadela park in Poznan in September 2012 as the field overall size estimated 90 by 90 meters. The first FOOOOTBALLLL group performance was between four local armature football teams. The project was produced in cooperation with Nastawnia Assosiation and included in the accompanying program of Mediations Biennale, Poznan. Later in 2012, the first ever FOOOOTBALLLL on a stadium was created in Plovdiv, Bulgaria as the overall size of the land art estimated 65 by 65 meters. The group performance was between the four football teams of the city of Plovdiv: Botev, Lokomotiv, Spartak and Maritsa.. The project was included in the program of the project Urban Dreams curated by Emil Mirazchiev.
The question: “Why four teams?” is always hovering in the air when FOOOOTBALLLL is discussed. The originality of the design, the mixture of familiar and strange in the setup of the game creates new challenges and the participants exercise physically, mentally and socially playing FOOOOTBALLLL. FOOOOTBALLLL is also a tool to bring together and establish relationship between groups genuinely divided for any reason: physically, politically, philosophically, socially, etc.
The participants and viewers are strongly encouraged to perceive the game beyond the original and see it as metaphor for life and focus on the multiple opportunities and fearlessly face the numerous difficulties accompanying them. Playing FOOOOTBALLLL questions metaphorically individual positioning in society, choices, social interactivity and exchanges, and provokes new realms of communication and competition. Playing the game is important, but yet it is not crucial. The important is that people start thinking in a “what if...?” manner. We are all after opportunities, but they rarely come without difficulties. We all cherish change, but fear the challenges it brings. Through changing the original challenge of the game the FOOOOTBALLLL concept challenges a change to occur in the public’s intelligence and push it to function in a world with multiplied opportunities and respectively to handle multiplied difficulties. And hopefully, leaving the FOOOOTBALLLL field, which serves as a metaphor for daily routine as game play, the viewers and mostly participants will be infected with new daring perspective and attitude to life.
Veronika Tzekova
2012