Ein bisschen Englisch für N.Y.C

16 june, 2008

On the occasion of the making of A Prior Magazine #18 and the opening of the new e-flux’ space, A Prior Magazine is happy to present The New York Conversations with Nico Dockx, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Anton Vidokle

Partcipants:

Liam Gillick, Martha Rosler, Louwrien Wijers, Jan Verwoert, Miwon Kwon, Marti Peran, Sis Matthé, Egon Hanfstingl and A Prior editors Anders Kreuger, Dieter Roelstraete, Monika Szewczyk, Andrea Wiarda and Els Roelandt.

Daily food and conversation sessions 26-27-28 june

Hours: 1pm till 3 pm and 8pm till 10pm



Where: 41 Essex Street, NYC, NY 10002*

Hope you! are there!

Participants and visitors are advised to respect the following rules *:

- It is necessary to listen to others if one wants to have their attention

- Above all things and upon all occasions, avoid speaking of yourself

- Being over confident and peremptory does very much unfit men for conversation

- Avoid too excessive pedantic or technical speech (like direct interrogation, the use of imperatives and short answers such as ‘Yes’ and above all ‘No’)

- Adapt your conversation to the people you are conversing with

- Honourable people must never use a low word in their speech

- Subjects to avoid for men: ‘hunting, hawking and the War of the Netherlands; for women: fashionable clothes and housewifery. In general avoid talking about one’s children, telling one’s dreams or boasting of one’s nobility or riches.



- It is a great fault to be too fond of keeping silent

- Don’t talk when you eat, it makes people think you are not enjoying the food

- It is better to be a men of few words than a ciarlatore

- No one speaks to the king during his public meals unless he addresses him first

And ofcourse:

Whereof one cannot speak, thereof must one be silent

* see Peter Burke, The Art of Conversation in Early Modern Europe, 1993


Remember the 17th June 1953.