We at Limber Gym
are not ashamed to say it is our conceit that, in the name of progress and
self-improvement, we have become 'objectified and civilised' against our will.
We do not know what we will become, what we are doing or where we are going. We
know the strong prejudice against such conceit but we have iron in our soul, in
our machines, in our changing room, in our laundry and in our brochure.
TESTBED 1 was the perfect venue for Limber Gym
to reveal itself to those willing to try out something new and become
acquainted with something old in an adequately equipped, far from sterile,
environment, guaranteed to make anyone feel at home, especially if they live on
the streets. Candidates from more prosperous and comfortable backgrounds took
some time to become accustomed to Limber Gyms 'rugged' functionality. Limber Gym is not exclusive: all are welcome.
We want to serve the community. Limber Gym is dedicated to the concept,
"How to, when to, don't do'.
Adepts are
tested, challenged, questioned, repositioned and generally taxed beyond reason:
all in the cause of personal self-improvement. An 'epistemological extravaganza'
is on offer to those who are conscious and prepared to pay the very heavy
price.
Schopenhauer
would have been an adept had Limber Gym been on tour in his day: it would have
replaced his walking habit without sacrificing his will to be. Heidegger would
have supplied the principle and the administration, if not the actual tools and
equipment in use today
It has been
noted that we at Limber Gym like to drop names and make esoteric references to
give ourselves a semblance of respectability and purpose, to justify our
existence. This is the work of envious competitors. Limber Gym is just an empty
shell waiting for its' clients to decorate it with purpose and meaning: thus
giving it a useful function to reveal its raison d'etre. This is the contribution
of the members, unable to allow Limber Gym to suffer ignominious anonymity. The
Gym is nothing without support: wishful thinking is the way forward for many
more converts to make significant differences to reveal its' secrets and
develop the Gym.
TESTBED 1
LIMBER GYM: THE
TOUR, AT JOHNNYS'
Limber Gym
recently acquired a bricolage machine from the scrap yard across the road from
our Peckham headquarters. This wondrous apparatus allows us to enter a world,
both distant and familiar, through the definitive use of anything that comes to
hand. This machine provides an important exercise, establishing the common
vocabulary, so necessary for an era when individualism is mandatory and
exercised by rote and where access has
to be seen to be believed, if Limber
Gym is to be open and inclusive.
We retain our
right to discriminate when necessary to ensure that our current clients' desire
to be associated with a concern of quality and substance are met. They
constructed a vernacular edifice so that future, potential, Limber Gym Members
will be able to find us blindfold. The great strength of this edifice is that
it is built on a flaw: an important device acquired from the Japanese and used
here to great effect. Members have to be
put through hoops and then the ultimate workout is by strenuous word of mouth.
The new machine
allows entry into an elaborate physical dialogue with persistent contemporary and
elemental issues associated with the aesthetics of the desire for
self-improvement. We realise that this
philosophical workout is most important for those in the know who crave an image for Limber Gym and feel left out.
The debate is ongoing, no such image has been found to date, but Limber
Gym has made a career out of failure and its' commitment to provide this
service to the wider community, to acquire essential
funding, is at the centre of its being.
Limber Gym is
the product of an infinite variety of narrative predicaments that only make
sense when brought together in the friendly and supportive atmosphere of the
Gym. Here collective weaknesses coalesce and synthesise into a form used to
exercise every aspect of your being: if you are susceptible to such things. Use
of the tools and machines requires unquestioning cooperation and the essential
facility to allow differences to exist by turning the blind eye and the deaf
ear. Incredible intricate and monumental forms come out of this interaction and
raise the bar: endless horizons appear to be traversed on bare feet over
superficial slippery surfaces: these ultimately lead to a world of envy amongst
the cognoscenti. Disclaimer: Limber Gym
is not responsible for any conflict that may occur from this interaction: the
bar is regularly serviced.
Adepts know that
there is no point in over extending themselves unnecessarily by exercising
enquiry into this or that. There is no depth to Limber Gym only a thin surface
topsoil: so there is no possibility of being submerged by weighty knowledge or
expertise. The mantra "a little
knowledge is a dangerous thing" is the measure exercised extensively:
they flock to experience the void at the centre of the Gym where ample space is
provided to exercise their delight in being simple. If Limber Gym had an image
it would be a devotional work for the 21st Century.
|