You didn’t say a word

This morning I passed through the pages Philip J. Deloria’s Becoming Mary Sully, looking past the names, for a word: ‘Gossip’.

Beyond the above image, there was nothing written there or here online about this work or word by Sully and so I took another – well-worn – route, back to documenta 14. Here is the path I took – you can click play buttons and text to follow me. I ask you, both you my librarian and you my reader, why didn’t you say a word? For all of your Learning from Athens and Learning from documenta, why didn’t you listen to the words that mattered most?

The issue of rumors— not supposed to be dispelled but rather embraced—was touched upon by d14’s program of education, the Chorus, and the Society of Friends of Ulises Carriόn. [12] However, the acknowledgment of this social phenomenon’s interest didn’t go as far as to trigger any exercise of self-reflexivity, along those of Freedom. Once documenta was gone, there was a book published in Greek, a crime novel entitled Den les kouvenda (You don’t say a word) by the writer Makis Malafekas (2018). The book successfully rendered the atmosphere of rumors and gossip, secrets and conflicts in the city, depicted as enchanted by the presence of d14. The novel’s title refers to a well-known song in Greek, with the following opening verse: “You don’t say a word, you keep hidden secrets and documents.” The singer is Sotiria Bellou, in honor of whom there was a “Society” organized by Paul B. Preciado during d14’s public program. Malafekas’ plot seems partially inspired by rumors concerning documenta (which is supposed to be an anti-commercial exhibition but participating in it immediately raises the value of any artist’s production) and money (eventually, money laundering). This is the “secret” documented by a painting, in the novel, giving reason for murder. What a totally different atmosphere depicted than the one, more joyful and idealized, emanating from documenta 13’s (2012) address to Spanish writer Enrique Vila-Matas, who wrote the semi-fictional novel The Illogic of Kassel (2014).