The priest in Strömsund told me that so many young people
had passed away during the years. This made me want to make a happiness-manifestation
to make people happier there. I pondered on it for some time and
decided to grant people three wishes each to people to try and make
them happy. Thru that I could at the same time examine what people
in the misdst of Norrland's inland and mountainsites think would
make them the most happy a summer's day. On July the 26:th 2004,
I entered Strömsund, dressed up as an enchantress and with
a wand and with Leo Brusewitz as my camera-man. During that day
we tried to spread happiness there.
Kan
det bli Lyckligare?[Can it Become More Happy?is the
name I cose for the installation that was shown in my Happiness
as an Art-project. I showed an edited selection of what was
filmed on two TV-monitors. In one people talk about their wishes
and on the other others talk about how well they are and that they
do not wish for anything more! The installation also consists of
charcoal-drawings of these ihabitants of Strömsund, with their
wishes written on them. I realized that people wished for the following:
Most wiched for riches and since the summer was pretty bad they
wished for better weather. The third thing they asked for was to
stay or become healthy. Of course this is not objective or statistic,
but my-own subjective opinion after the manifestationen.
Printed
colour-posters of Indians from the Laughter-schcool in Mumbai
and quotes of how to become happy were hung at one of the walls.
As a fourth, interactive part I asked people to write down their
happiest memories.
Two notebooks were put there on a desk for the audience to write
in and each day I chose one of the memories. I wrote this on the
chalkboard besides the desk, for the entire next day To thank those
who shared their happy memories they received a genuine Chinesefortune-cookie.