In an extraordinary art performance, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, artist Mark McGowan is to stand dressed as a christmas tree for an amazing 72 hours, he will also be attempting to cry continuously. Tears and sobbing will be seen and heard from the incredible human Christmas tree on the Rua Do Poco Dos Negros, starting at 10am on Friday 19th December 2008 and continuing through out the last weekend before Christmas.
The performance is an attempt to highlight lonliness at Christmas, when lots of people instead of being happy are sad, due to circumstances.
McGowan says,
"Hopefully this art performance or sculpture will carry a message to the people of Lisbon and Portugal who are lucky enough to have their families and friends around them at Christmas, that there are some people who are less fortunate and maybe we could extend our goodwill to them as they find the holiday season quite painful and sad. It is particularly moving that this event should take place in Rua do Poço dos Negros, surely a horrible area to be in during the 15th century, when King D. Manuel I decided to built a well where dead black slaves were to be buried in piles. Its going to be very very difficult to keep crying continuously for 72 hours dressed as a Christmas tree."
The Philosopher's Stone tells the story of Jacob Fausstman, a scientist and early alchemist who searches for the key to curing man of the disease of death. In his frustration Jacob stumbles onto another path to achieve his goals. Turning to the dark arts Jacob conjures the demon Mephistopheles and is given the key to eternal life. But his perceptions of 'life eternal' and the nature of his existence comes into question once he has obtained his desire for true knowledge.
Base in equal parts on the Faustian archetype and the biographical story of Dr. Albert Hoffmann's accidental discovery of LSD, The Philosopher's Stone is an homage to early German Expressionist cinema and the psychedelic visualizations of drug culture.
