I’m too misanthropic to believe that Earth Hour was much more than a massive, feel-good PR stunt. But as our house dutifully doused the lights during that stipulated hour on 28 March, I found that being plunged into a physical darkness was more welcome than I’d ever anticipated.

It inspired a series of posts on, about and/or around the idea of ‘darkness’. Thoughts on Darkness by various contributors will be released into the light (sorry, couldn’t resist) tomorrow. As an introduction, I reproduce here an excerpt of a gmail chat I had with an artist friend in Myanmar.

Capri Battery, Joseph Beuys, 1985
An ‘object’ multiple consisting of an incandescent light bulb plugged into a lemon. The acidity of the lemon generates a weak electric current, enough to light up the bulb.
Courtesy: The National Museum of Art, Osaka / Photo: FUKUNAGA Kazuo
Image source here.

~

mrt: hello Ma’am.
me: hullo sir
how are you?
mrt: dont know why this simple ques make me difficult.
anyway,think im good :)
really happy to see you again.
me: haha. simple questions are the worst questions
I’m glad to ‘see’ you too
just think: we’re talking, but I’m here and you’re there. Wish someone would invent a way to drink beer through gmail chat
mrt: i totally agree with that.
mrt: gtalk = gdrink
me: heheh. great idea.
mrt: it should be that way.
me: it should
mrt: you know…
the uncles has been testing to tighten
the grip of e-networking between
us.
and the internet connection is
really sluggish these days.
me: I see.
I don’t think I like your uncles
we should poison them at the next family dinner
mrt: that’s the most effective way,i think.
me: HAHAH :D
mrt: if not, our brains will be full of their shit
and our deeds will be in their shit :)
me: yes… poison.
Mrt… you know, last week, we had something called ‘Earth Hour’
do you know it?
mrt: 8888?
me: it’s when the whole world is supposed to turn off all their lights for one hour – to save the earth.
mrt: i c.
me: stupid idea
mrt: he he.
me: but it made me think about something though… the idea of ‘darkness’
mrt: many Earth hours from my room,then.
me: HAHAH :D
mrt: do u like the darkness?
me: I’m trying to write something about ‘darkness’
I do like it… it’s very comforting
I was thinking: in heaven, what if there is no night?
I think I’d go crazy
I’d try and poke my eyes blind
mrt: it will be like you r taking too much amphetamine.
me: yes!
scary
mrt: in Burmese, we say…
eyes wide like lemons
mrt: as a mortal/ephemeral,i really can’t enjoy thinking of eternity in every aspects.
me: heh… yes.
now is far better than any sort of eternity.
mrt: yes.
me: it’d be better with some kind of beer, or nice scenery, maybe a girlfriend (for you) or my boyfriend (for me)
mrt: there come another unlucky twos for lucky us.
:)
me: heheh. ya!
mrt: we want GDrink…
me: now now now
mrt: GDrink…
Gdrink….
fight,fight,fight for your Gdrink
me: say it enough times, it seems more real. That’s art, right?
mrt: can’t separate it now.
it becomes life…
me: hah!
mrt: it becomes art…
me: great, I can taste gdrink already
it has some lemons in it
mrt: one of your eyes is committing treason
against our Gdrink constitution
it seems to have taken Gphetamine
our rival gang.
me: haha. I’m laughing.
glaugh
mrt: me too.
Ghaha.
me: HAHAHAHAH
mrt: haGhaGhaGha
i m so happy.
me: stop it. heheheh
me too.
I got to go now, though.
mrt: ok. you wanna ban G?
mrt: i have to _o too
keep in touch!
then!
me: no, let’s keep G!
mrt: be _ood.
me: ok, I’ll keep the g, you can do the rest
mrt: hu_s
me: g bye
g.
mrt: ni_ht!
me: :D
mrt: seize the night!
night,Sharon!

(SC)