Chronotope 1: AUTOMONUMENT
On the anniversary of Aaron Bushnell's sacrifice.
92 steps north-south, past the corner of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Embassy of Bangladesh, Embassy of Ghana.
Addressing the viewer:
Hi my name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.
13 inhalations,
13 exhalations,
00:56.50 seconds.
PT I: THE BODY
Hand rustling in pocket, phone placed on unknown surface, background scene tilted towards left, portrait, phone tilted towards right.
A soldier steps away towards a blue gate, curved masonry clad building corner seen behind, canteen visible in left hand, military cap pulled out of right pocket in right hand. Forward March, seven equal strides, eighth step to pivot back towards the camera, ninth half step to plant both feet, About-Face, heels together, feet at 45-degree angles, back erect, eyes forward, cap held out to the side, arm straight.
At Attention.
TC 3-21.5, 4-4.
To assume this position, bring the heels together sharply on line, with the toes pointing out equally, forming a 45-degree angle. Rest the weight of the body evenly on the heels and balls of both feet. Keep the legs straight without locking the knees. Hold the body erect with the hips level, chest lifted and arched, and shoulders square. Keep the head erect and face straight to the front with the chin drawn in so alignment of the head and neck is vertical.
Between leaving the phone and turning to face it, 00:08.92 seconds.
The figure is framed, the shot is composed. This is a body trained to move in precise ways and conditioned to respond to commands.
TC 3-21.5, 4-6
Note. Throughout these movements, the remainder of the body remains in the Position of Attention.
Left arm raised above head, canteen tipped, eyes closed, head craned upwards, necked rolled back and forth, sound of the splatter of liquid on asphalt, face and torso drenched. Face forward again, eyes straight. Right arm raised, cap placed squarely on head, pulled forward.
Right hand dipped into right pocket,
the soldier sighs.
A lighter gripped in right hand is pulled from pocket, the canteen is thrown to the side,
<Sound of double metallic bounce on pavement>
Free Palestine
Right hand strikes lighter once, again, again, again, body bends, right arm descends down towards right ankle.
<Radio noise>
“Hi sir, can I help you?”
A voice from out of frame.
Strike, misfire, strike, misfire, strike, left hand shakes lighter, agitating liquid butane,
<the sound of a car passing>
strike, misfire, strike, misfire, strike, misfire, left hand rises towards brim cap, adjusts it, descends.
<Rhythmic intonation of canteen rolling down pavement>
Strike, misfire, strike, misfire, strike, misfire, right hand hovers between ankles,
strike, misfire, strike, misfire, strike, misfire.
Left hand moves lighter down towards to the ground and the pool of flammable liquid gathered around feet,
“Can I help you sir?”
<Radio noise>
Ignition.
PT II: THE MONUMENT
The stately column that stretches heavenward from the plain whereon we stand bears witness to all who behold it that the covenant which our fathers made their children have fulfilled.
— Chester A. Arthur, February 21, 1885
Address at the Dedication of the Washington Monument
Fire spreads out from the tip of the lighter held between legs, explodes, radiates across the spilled liquid, propagates itself, reaches its full circumference, erupts upwards,
<the sound of radio noise>
arms raised in unison, body brought upright, arms thrust back down outstretched.
“Woah!”
Fire climbs left leg.
For as long as it lasts, the body-on-fire is sublimated by another force, traced and drawn —the act of self-immolation is a spontaneous work of architecture thrown up and cast down.
For as long as it lasts, It is speech that cannot be recuperated, coopted, or subverted, language reduced to a singular expression, a body replaced, torturously, by media. It cannot be captured, only extinguished.
The act of self-immolation is an AUTOMONUMENT.
It speaks:
First Refrain: FREE PALESTINE
From the moment of ignition until the first refrain, 00.01.65 seconds.
“Hey!”
Fire engulfs the left side of the body, arms raised to shoulders, thrust back down in unison. Fire travels along the belt towards the right side, springs from the lefthand side of the back and left arm, travels across the shoulders to the righthand side.
“Hey!”
Fire erupts from the neck and head, arms thrown up and cast down:
Second refrain: FREE PALESTINE
From the first refrain until the second refrain, 00.01.61 seconds.
“Woah, hey”
“Hey!”
The body is engulfed, arms thrown up and cast down, knees buckle:
Third refrain: FREE PALESTINE
From the second refrain until the third refrain, 00.01.43 seconds.
The language of empire expresses itself through its public monuments, regulates the architectural landscape of its cities.
State narratives are written in stone, steel, and glass – it cannot permit unsanctioned morphemes unless it risks the formation of new bases, new affixes, new words: barricades cannot be piled in its streets, or triumphal columns toppled.
Arms cast up and thrown down:
Fourth refrain: FREE PALESTINE
From the third refrain until the fourth refrain: 00:01.51 seconds.
New Federal building designs should, like America’s beloved landmark buildings, uplift and beautify public spaces, inspire the human spirit, ennoble the United States, command respect from the general public, and, as appropriate, respect the architectural heritage of a region.
—Executive Order on Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture
Arms cast up and thrown down:
Fifth Refrain: FREE PALESTINE
From the fourth refrain until the fifth refrain: 00:01.81 seconds.
Left foot tap, right foot tap, left foot tap, the body dances,
“man’s on fire, man’s on fire!”
Two jumps and two stomps, arms thrown to side, the body erupts:
First Scream
Between the fifth refrain and first scream, 00:03.25 seconds.
The design team for the new Washington chancery was fully cognizant of this historical background, but was aware that not enough time had passed since the foundation of the state to allow an indigenous architecture to crystallize, thus giving expression to the traditions and cultural experience of the new society.
—Ariel magazine, no. 61, Israeli Embassy
“Get on the ground”
State monuments crystallize systems of power, incarnate the flesh of its rulers.
Arms cast up and thrown down:
Second Scream
Between first scream and second scream, 00:00.98 seconds.
The flesh is being undone.
“Get on the ground, get on the ground!”
Israeli architecture, like any other, tends to reflect the forces that go into the shaping of the surrounding society.
Arms cast up and thrown down:
Third Scream
Between the second scream and the third scream, 00:02.26 seconds.
The body is breaking down,
“On the ground!”
Fourth Scream
Between the third scream and the fourth scream, 00.01.01 seconds.
Arms thrown up and cast down, speech returns, terminal lucidity:
Sixth Refrain: FREE PALESTINE
Between the fourth scream and the sixth refrain, 00:01.03 seconds.
Right foot tap, left foot tap, small steps, arms down, the AUTONOMUMENT lists towards its left side.
<The sound of siren first heard in distance>
“Hey”
Fifth and Final scream,
Between the sixth refrain and fifth scream, 00:01.01 seconds.
“Get on the ground”
Myoclonic jerks, Hypoxia, arms thrash in controlled spasms, body fails, what is left of it staggers and sways, patches of smoldering fabric drip from charred skin.
<The sound of the siren rises and falls>
“On the ground, on the ground, get on the ground”
Slow rotation of a column of fire, the AUTOMONUMENT completes a 270 degrees turn.
<Rising and falling pitch of the Siren signals its arrival out of frame>
“On the ground”
Decorticate posturing, agonal breathing, denatured proteins in muscles, heat rigor – the brainstem may remain briefly active even after the higher brain regions responsible for consciousness are shut down.
“On the ground”
The state is reasserting itself.
The AUTOMONUMENT sways.
My Administration will not allow violent mobs incited by a radical fringe to become the arbiters of the aspects of our history that can be celebrated in public spaces. State and local public officials" abdication of their law enforcement responsibilities in deference to this violent assault must end.
—Executive Order on Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence
“On the ground”
“Who’s got a fire extinguisher!”
The AUTOMONUMENT is inert, held upright by its own compressive strength.
“Get a fire extinguisher”
<the siren cuts>
Left leg gives out, the AUTOMONUMENT is a body again, faces the camera, falls towards its left side.
“Who’s got a fire extinguisher”
Public buildings [are] the ornament of a country. [Architecture] establishes a Nation, draws people and commerce, makes the people love their native country . . . Architecture aims at eternity.
“Get a fire extinguisher, who’s got a fire extinguisher, who’s got a fire extinguisher!”
From the point of ignition until the moment of falling, 00:42.74 seconds.
The AUTOMONUMENT Collapses.
PT III: THE STATE
GO-OPS-308.04
1. The first member on the scene involving an interaction with a mental health consumer shall:
a. When possible, establish verbal control.
<the sound of a second siren is heard rising and falling in the distance>
“Call the board, call the board”
“Call the board”
Grey and blackened legs of the body, prone, the AUTOMONUMENT is a smoldering ruin. Armed men on site call for backup, desperate to extinguish the flames, desperate to remove the body, desperate to re-establish order, desperate to return the city to itself.
It is impossible because civilized society is split into antagonistic, and, moreover, irreconcilably antagonistic classes, whose “self-acting” arming would lead to an armed struggle between them.
—The State and Revolution
“Call the board, call the board”
“Call the board”
A state arises, a special power is created, special bodies of armed men, and every revolution, by destroying the state apparatus, shows us the naked class struggle, clearly shows us how the ruling class strives to restore the special bodies of armed men which serve it, and how the oppressed class strives to create a new organization of this kind, capable of serving the exploited instead of the exploiters.
“Call the board, call the board”
“Call the board”
“Get me a fire extinguisher!”
The burned body lies naked at the base of the AUTOMONUMENT.
It is February 25th, 2024, a little past 1 PM, and a soldier has broken rank.
Event #24029273
PUBLIC INCIDENT REPORT REPORT DATE / TIME Feb 26, 2024 07:15
EVENT START DATE / TIME - EVENT END DATE / TIME Feb 25, 2024 13:00 - Feb 25, 2024 18:56
SHOTS FIRED: NO
REPORTING PARTY-1 (ORGANIZATION) R-1 Reporting Officer PUBLIC
“Jesus Christ, Hey!”
"Get the fire extinguisher."
First armed man cuts right to the left across the screen, rushes towards the body, second armed man cuts across frame right to left, third armed man enters from the left, gun drawn, isosceles stance.
For the first time since the beginning of the livestream other bodies enter the frame.
NARRATIVE On the specified date, time, and location, a unit from the Secret Service Uniformed Division received a distress call regarding an individual exhibiting signs of mental distress outside the Israeli embassy. Before the Secret Service officers could engage, the individual, referred to as Subject-1 (SUB-1), doused himself with an unidentified liquid and set himself on fire. The Secret Service officers promptly intervened, extinguishing the flames before the arrival of the fire department. SUB-1 was subsequently transported to a local hospital due to the burns sustained from the incident. Despite all lifesaving efforts, Sub-1 died and was pronounced dead by Dr. Hui Zheng at 2006 hours.
<The rising and falling of the second siren gets louder>
"I’ll cover you, I’ll cover you!”
First man in uniform discharges the contents of the fire extinguisher, hops left to right around the body, arms extended, clockwise rotation. Second man in uniform holds his gun pointed at the ruin.
From the moment of collapse until the discharge of the extinguisher, 00:15.64 seconds.
<The second siren cuts.>
"Pop the trunk, pop the trunk"
Third armed man enters the frame, drops a duffle bag, pops it open, rummages for supplies.
"Hey, help me out, help me out!"
First armed man gestures.
"I need a fire -"
"I need a fire extinguisher!"
Every day there are people who are burning, there are people whose limbs are torn apart by American made weaponry.
—Mohammed El-Kurd
"They have it right here, it’s coming, he said he has it. Another one! Another one!"
Fourth armed man enters with a fire extinguisher, discharges its contents.
"I don’t need guns, I need fire extinguishers!"
As you mentioned that video that CNN has obtained is too graphic, too disturbing to show on television but it really paints a clear picture of what happened … we can talk you through what we see in that video, Bushnell in his military uniform walking on the streets of DC up to the embassy, he is speaking quite clearly to the camera ….
… Yeah, really disturbing.
"Go go go go go"
Fifth armed man enters with a fire extinguisher, discharges its contents.
Tremors, the scene shakes, camera pans to the left, Embassy of Ghana, Embassy of Bangladesh, Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, visible in background, MPD sedan in foreground.
"What is this, hold on, hold on!"
The phone is picked up, removed from where it was placed.
For 03:11.56 minutes you’ve been watching.
"What is this"
Addressing the viewer:
"Who is this?"