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Sweet Wall/Testimonials 1976

artist book; 2 texts by Allan Kaprow, 40 illustrations from drawings by Kaprow and photos by Dick Higgins and Lee Ottinger; 36 pages, booklet

The artist's book »Sweet Wall/Testimonials«, published in 1976, documents two activities by Kaprow in collaboration with Galerie Block in two texts by the artist as well as drawings and photographs by Dick Higgins and Lee Ottinger. The now iconic action »A Sweet Wall« had already taken place in Berlin six years before the artist's book was published. It documents the construction and demolition of »A Sweet Wall«, a wall made of concrete blocks, jam and slices of bread, which Kaprow erected together with a few helpers on November 11, 1970 on a border strip near the Wall, not far from Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. The artist's book »Sweet Wall/Testimonials« presents the activity in a selection of documentary b/w photographs by Dick Higgins, which are accompanied by a text by Kaprow on six double pages: “Berlin / empty lot / near the Wall / building a wall / (cement blocks) (ca. 30 m x 1.5 m) / cementing blocks / with bread and jam / toppling wall / removing material / empty lot”. Under the title »Testimonials«, Kaprow brings together smaller activities that deal with the creation and erasure of traces. “Testimonials” was performed by several couples in the Block Gallery in June 1976.