The Death Clock
—chashama presents Reconstruction October 4-27th, 2006
Curated by Station Independent Projects
chashama Gallery, 112 West 44th Street, Time Square, New York

October 2006

Opening night Praxis will present DJ Firehorse who will be spinning 45s.

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Praxis has built the -National Death Clock - on the sidewalk in front of Chashama that can be viewed easily by passers-by. Echoing the Debt clock which is a familiar fixture next door, their clock keeps a record of the Iraqi civilian deaths as well as American soldier deaths with updates daily including the rising cost of the war.

One of the best-known landmarks of Times Square was installed in 1989: the National Debt Clock. The billboard-sized display showed passers-by the fast-growing national debt total, as well as "your family share." Seymour Durst, second-generation leader of the family real estate business known as the Durst Organization, installed the Debt Clock to point out that, in his words, "We have mortgaged our future and the future of our country because we refuse to face our fiscal responsibilities."

Praxis mounts the Death Clock as an illustration that we have "sold our future using our fear as a down payment because we refuse to face the fact that we are paying billions for a war that is the fruits of a lie by our president." In a version decidedly low-tech, a chalk drawing is changed daily to reflect the skyroceting deaths and cost of one the greatest blunders in history. The numbers are changing daily and can be seen from the street, thus the "grand performance or war" which we all all involved in, is always in flux and this clock acts as a mirror to reflect on our personal involvement.

Images from opening night;