The Book of "100 Actions" page 121
TERRITORIAL LAND REGISTRY
Firstly, the territorial unit of measurement had to be decided
upon and then laid down as the rule. This was accomplished after
the Wise Men rapidly conferred together. The unit of measurement
would be the square metre, taking into account the conventions
that are proper to it. Obeying the rule, the square metre concerned
was immediately christened "artistic square metre".
This was intended to stress its specific nature and also to avoid
all possibility of confusion with other names that sound similar,
but differ radically in spirit...Especially since the christening
ceremony took place in France a few hundred metres away from the
Swiss frontier, at the place called " chez Mermier ".
The service occurred in the middle of a field of which plots had
been handed over by a peasant to the " Artistic Square Metre
Civil Estate Agents Society" for a few symbolic francs. In
the newspaper "Le Monde" relevant reports appeared in
all the editions between 10th March and 20th September 1977 in
the finance sections; considering the repute of the newspaper,
that just proved that art can very well appear in a financial
column... But does this not lead one to reflect on the question
of the actual status of art within a society that prizes mercantile
values above all others?