At the beginning of the event and while the crowd is gathering, the artists work on preparing a clay bed. At the same time a reader is reading a translation to an ancient Sumerian Lullaby. The artists ask people from the audience to help them make the bed and a blanket from the clay and after the blanket is done, they invite people to lay on the bed. With help from the audience, they lift the heavy blanket and cover the person laying on the bed and tuck her/him in. The artists then sing the original lullaby to the person in bed.
The event, which is a pre-sleep ritual, reveals the effect of the clay contact on the body which creates a feeling of stability and instability at the same time. The need for stability is a basic human need and the heavy clay placed on the body gives a sensation of stability. This feeling is intensified because in the process of body-clay fusion, the clay adapts itself to the body shape and heat. In addition, the very act of laying underneath the clay, combined with the lullaby, which like many lullabies tells of fears and death, creates a connotation of burial.
Collaborator: Esti Contes