Valga igavese sõpruse kivi
Valga igavese sõpruse kivi
Valga friendship forever rock was christened as a cultural monument on 23rd of August 2024. The event was open to the public and the whole of Valga’s city council was invited but nobody came except one passerby who stopped to listen. I gave a public speech with an Estonian translator (thank you Laura-Maria). As to not give a single person the honor of cutting the red ribbon, we brought ten of them to be cut.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8NS3QPGrx7cbUSYX8
I encountered this stone when i was thinking about all the exclamations for the potential of LIFE. The rock is an alien in an enviroment where everything has long settled into its shape and place. A local said that it has been there forever but that she does not know why.
When we were hanging around as a group thinking of ways to interact with the rock, we were joined by a little russian speaking child. He told us he was looking for friends, asked us our names and wandered off. A bit later we saw him again and invited him to join us in pushing the rock over. We tried our hardest but we did not manage. Together with the kid we also tried lifting it up, but alas. Then we decided to dance around it, and so we danced on a brazilian club song around the rock. Then we decided we would all become rocks. So we crouched down and became rocks. Our friend did not entirely understand so just climbed on the rock itself. We shared our juice with him and tried to communicate a bit longer. He seemed very happy and so were we.
When this was all over I was blown away by how much potential this alien rock was actually holding. From an unidentified urban object it turned into a beacon of friendship and a lifelong memory for me and maybe for the kid (his name was pronounced “Timur”’. As a way to archive a memory and at the same time perpetuate the momentum of this moment we decided to make a monument out of this stone. Along with it being marked as a cultural landmark on google, an opening ceremony was organised. The entire city council was invited and a gathering organised. I gave a speech with a stammering Estonian translator (thank you Laura-Maria). Execept one old passerby, no locals showed up. A red ribbon was cut and a selfie was made, After that a second ribbon was cut, after that a third, after that a fourth,….and so it went on.
The as of yet undefined/inbetween status of this urban object interests me a lot. In the end it is a small gesture, nearing the territory of childs play and imagination. The goal is then also not to impose a new monument on the people of Valga, it is fine in its inbetween status where one can wonder about the meaning attached to this stone and maybe add a memory to the virtual container that is ‘the monument’ on google maps.
What makes a monument? How important does a moment have to be to deserve a monument? Are google reviews an arbiter of truth? Can I create a monument? Is a monument alive?

jacob lambrecht
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