28 August, 7.30
Rafts
Rafts on the Elbe were made out of wood logs, sometimes with a roof of straws, sometimes with a bonfire. Rafters used to sleep on it overnight.
A performative device was created with a floating mattress in the middle of the Elbe, tied to the shore with two ropes. The performer pulled the bed towards and away from the shore, inviting the audiences to float.
The audiences were invited to take an early walk on a foggy Sunday morning. They discovered the floating bed by chance along the river. The bed was made as if someone were just sleeping there some moments ago, or it were waiting for someone. The gesture of the performer pulling the bed imitated slightly that of the Bomätscher. Watching from the other side of the river, as the bed was only visible as a little white dot, one would see a group of people sitting and standing in line, watching attentively at the river.
The bed was left afloat on the river after the performance. Different interactions took place with the ferry, the passerbys on river and ashore, as well as the streams of the Elbe.
Journal of Elbe Adventure on a Sunday Morning