ISM (the Incredible Shrinking Museum), 2004

I dream of a museum about nothing for a society that has everything. This museum would have no guards, gates, or windows, no foundation, no roof. It would have no labels, signs or symbols, and would not follow any bureaucratic rules or respond to administrative boards. It would reject grand mission statements and defy any predefined purpose.

This museum would offer a respite for all of us who are fatigued by the "facts" and "artifacts" we are constantly being subjected to and that leave us no time for close examination or doubt. It would fire up our imagination and revive utopian dreams for a jaded art world.

I envision this museum in the shape of a massive block of glycerin soap. Visitors would be invited to carve their way into the structure, making it accessible through gradual excavation. The excavated chunks of soap would become the museum's only artifacts and be free for the taking. Thus, the museum would be disseminated among its visitors until it is used up.

I call this museum the Incredible Shrinking Museum.

- Filip Noterdaeme