Ist es möglich, daß alle diese Menschen eine Vergangenheit,
die nie gewesen ist, ganz genau kennen? Ist
es möglich, daß alle Wirklichkeiten nichts sind für sie;
daß ihr Leben abläuft, mit nichts verknüpft, wie eine
Uhr in einem leeren Zimmer -- ?*
(from R.M. Rilke: Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge)
The idea of a clockwork running in an empty room, how I simply could step away, close the door and leave it there, I might forget all about it. Again the timeline appears, what if the events are not ordered in a linear way, from A to B and so on into a distant future. I explored this concept a little when I wrote about the Dolly Shot in the Spilled Milk video, with the starting point and the end marker, but what if the end is also the start? Like Elvis Costello sings: "History repeats the old conceits, The glib replies the same defeats, Keep your finger on important issues, With crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues". What if I make a reality machine where the events are ordered in a circular manner, the closer to the center the faster they develop, all driven by a steady hand? Reached the end? No matter, it will start all over again.
Imagine how the bend wedges push spring-loaded cranks... animating the objects in the scene, how cool would that be? Lifting them a little and let them drop with a melodious knock. I think this could form a sweet repetitive rhythm, a sound play or meditation even.
That's how I came up with this idea of a clock and a scene, the noise of 3 rattling Heineken beer cans, but that's for later when I write part two of the Reality Machine. I need to do a lot of work in the studio still. For now all I can offer is the sound of the machine as I turn the handle, it goes like this:
