Old Night Equinox

A Surrealist Exercise

With every new encroachment by the repressive forces of civilization,
wilderness finds a new means for reasserting its presence. It is inspiring
that, even as we enter into this terrible new age of the National Security
State and its perpetual wars "in defense of civilization," we continue to
encounter ancient, ignored, or heretofore unseen manifestations of that
which refuses to be "civilized." At every turn, one finds evidence that
what is wild cannot and will never be controlled.

Invitation to research: Old Night Equinox is a scavenger hunt for night in
the full light of day. This surrealist intervention is scheduled for the
early afternoon of Monday September 23, the autumnal equinox. The objective
is to document elements of persistent and/or impending darkness during the
diurnal period. On June 21, Stephen Clark contacted his comrades in the
Leeds (UK) Surrealist Group to play Old Night with the following call to
participants:

Old Night. A game exploring shadows and darkness by day. Photographs could
be taken, drawing could be made, commentaries could form a map of dark
contours and poems could be torn from the penumbra. Documenting a diurnal
stroll to find nocturnal traces. Walk should commence at noon. The walk
should last an hour. A date could be agreed so that all walks occur
simultaneously. A meticulous attention to detail, recording time and place
of phenomena encountered. A brief subjective commentary on poetic evidence
found. All evidence compiled perhaps with introduction.

Our North American version of Old Night is scheduled for the equinox that
supposedly divides the light of day and the dark of night just as
institutions and agents of capital and the State try to quarantine
civilization from wilderness. By exploring night phenomena during the day,
balance is lost and the segregation effort collapses.

Results of this game-inquiry into the deep ecology of night will be collated
and redistributed to participants; please send your research, observations,
and discoveries before 31 October to:

Depth Squad Distribution

P.O. Box 1865

La Crosse, WI 54601-1865

For more information, contact depth squad