Instructional Based Works

Thaniel Ion Lee

Black Work For Nails

1. make square grid of 100 dots that are one inch apart

2. put a nail where each dot is

3. spray paint the nails flat black

4. allow the wall beneath the nails to get paint on it

Wall Drawing For Two People Of Similar Height

1. find two people of similar height

2. find a white wall or paint a wall white

3. have the shortest of the two people of similar height stand in the center of the room with his or her back touching the white wall

4. using a standard number two pencil have the taller of the two people of similar height trace the shorter one

5. then have the shorter of the two move right the exact length of his or her left foot

6. then have the taller one trace him or her again

7. repeat instructions 3 through 6 until you get to the end of the wall

8. have the shorter of the two people of similar height return to center of the room

9. this time she or he should have his or her face to the wall

10. once again using the number two pencil have the taller of the two people of similar height trace the shorter one

11. then have the shorter of the two move left the exact length of her or his right foot

12. then have the taller one trace him or her again

13. repeat instructions 9 through 12 until you get to the end of the wall

14. sweep and dust the room

15. document

One Sentence Works 2009

1. to run is an invitation to chase .

2. the more you struggle the faster you will sink .

3. never believe in anyone that does not believe in you.

4. young men never die.

5. people dont change.

6. make them regret ignoring you.

7. religion prevents the poor from killing the rich.

8. never have a back up plan.

9. todays future is tomorrows past.

Untitled Work For Gray Chalk Dust

1. lightly draw a rectangle on the floo{r that is 1/3rd longer then you are tall and double the width that you are wide

2. cover the area that you traced with a fine coating of powdered gray chalk

3. starting at one end slowly walk bare foot through the center of the rectangle

4. sit silently

Untitled Work Documenting The Passage Of Time

1. fill a room with fresh flowers

2. let them wilt and die

3. repeat

Black Work For Fingers

1. stretch a canvass that is 10 feet wide and 15 feet tall

2. paint the canvass dark gray [ 25 percent white/75 percent black ]

3. crush three pounds of black coal until it is a fine powder

4. mix the powdered coal with as much clear gel medium as it takes to make the entire mixture wet

5. quickly coat the canvass with the coal and gel medium mixture with as thick of a layer as you possibly can without letting it dry

6. wait 60 minutes

7. set a timer for 20 minutes

8. using nothing but your fingers scrape as much of the material as you can

9. use nothing but downward motions, and start at the top of the work

10. stop after the 20 minutes is up

11. allow to dry for three days

12. frame in a dark wood frame

Hole

1. find or pay a person to dig a hole

2. photograph and collect as much information as you can about the digger of the hole.

3. the dimensions of the opening of the hole should be three foot square

4. the depth of the hole will be determined by measuring the the height of the digger of the hole. if more then one person is used to dig the hole then the heights of all the people involved in the dig should be measured and averaged out.

5. photograph the hole, make notes of its latitude and longitude, the weather in the area during the dig, the history of the area that the pit is resting in and any other information you can find on the land that that it is contained in

6. keep the materials that were removed in the process of digging the hole

7. build a rectangular crate big enough to hold the material

8. fill the crate with all objects and soil collected while digging the hole

9. refill the hole with dirt that best represents the soil from the area that the hole was dug in

10. stand the crate vertically in a mostly empty room or allow enough room to allow people to safely walk around the crate

11. on the side of the box write the full name of the person/s that dug the hole and the latitude and longitude of the hole

12. attach all documentation about the dig site , the hole and its digger onto the crate containing the material collected during the dig

13. keep all documentation of the showing of the work [reviews, press, letters, receipts collected that involve the work...etc ], and add it to the work when it becomes available

Untitled Work Documenting The Passage Of Time Number Two

1. find a one foot by one foot piece of soapstone

2. put it in a outdoor public space and encourage people to touch it

3. wait until it is gone

4. repeat

Wall Painting For Hands

1. lightly draw a rectangle that is 16 feet in length and 10 and a half feet in height

2. paint the area with matte blackboard paint

3. allow to dry

4. using white chalk and starting from the top left [your left] corner trace your left hand, and next to it trace your right hand

5. repeat instruction number four until the entire area is gridded with tracings of your hands

6. fill in the tracings of the hands with a glossy black paint

7. allow to dry

8. remove the chalk lines

Mirror

1. find or construct a very large mirror

2. hang the mirror so that it can be touch by both children and adults

3. let and encourage people to touched the mirror

4. never dust, wash or edit the mirror

A Metaphor For Genocide

1. build an topless box that is 1ft deep, 12ft in length and 15ft in width

2. fill the box with garden soil

3. plant a rose garden in the box

4. wait until it blooms

5. burn the garden

6. till the ashes into the soil

7. plant another rose garden

8. wait until it blooms

9. burn the garden

10. till the ashes into the soil

11. repeat

Sculpture Number One

1. find a standard wheelchair

2. encase it in a block of concrete

3. stencil the words ONE STANDARD WHEELCHAIR onto the side of the concrete block

Red Star Of Variable Dimensions

1. draw a dot on the floor

2. lay flat with your head on the dot on the floor

3. have someone trace your body

4. while keeping your head on the dot carefully move 1/2 of the width of your body

5. have someone trace your body

6. repeat instructions three and four until you return to the original tracing

7. paint the area that was made red

Black Square Number 1

1. draw a square on the wall

2. the dimensions of the square will be determined by measuring the length of your arms from finger tip to finger tip

3. using nothing but number two pencils slowly fill in the square using nothing but circular motions

42708

1. make a tight fist

2. relax

42708-2 [two triangles]

1. using chalk draw a line on the floor that is five times as long as you are tall

2. find the center of the line, and put one foot on either side of the line

3. take three side ways steps to the right

4. draw and X under your left foot

5. make a line that goes from the center of the X to end of the line in instruction number one that you are pointing towards

6. repeat number two

7. take three side ways steps to the left

8. make a line that goes from the center of the X to end of the line in instruction number one that you are pointing away from

9. paint the two triangles either matte black or very dark brown

10. remove the chalk lines

Work For A Single Sheet Of Paper

1. attempt to remember the names of everyone who ever hurt you

2. write the names down on a a single sheet of paper

3. erase the list you made so that almost nothing remains

4. using the same sheet of paper write down everyone who has ever given you joy

5. carefully fold the sheet of paper and place it in a safe place

6. tell no one about the list

Chair Work 2008

1. find an empty room

2. place a chair in the center of the room

3. shut the door to the room

4. sit in the chair for one hour

5. leave the room

6. leave the chair