The Lessendgame has begun with the opening of your eyes.

The Scenario

You awake and prepare to go to your job. It is Monday morning and you believe that you are at a beginning of another work week. After completing your ablutions you quit your apartment and make by foot in the direction of your office. Half way there you meet a man wearing a three foot high top hat.

He asks you several questions the answers to which he records on a dictaphone that he is holding in his hand. This individual is not known to you. He asks you to step into the limousine that has now pulled up beside you. When you protest and say that you must go to work, he assures you that all has been taken care of and with the proper words he convinces you of the truth of his claim. When you ask where you are going he answers quit simply “into a dream.”

In the limousine the division between the driver and yourself blocks communication. During this time tape 139 is played. Soon you realize that you are heading in the direction of the airport. You knock on the window but no response is given.

Soon you are at the airport where you meet Sir Beeing, wearing a nine foot high top hat, who, with the right words, assures you that all is right and that there will be another Top Hat Man at the other end of the passage through the machine. When you again ask about work, Blair assures you that all has been taken care of. Just as you ask about your baggage a young boy appears carrying a suitcase full of clothing and items needed for a trip. He also hands you an envelope in which there is some money, airplane tickets, and a passport.

To satisfy your curiosity, you look at the ticket and see that you will be flying to Berlin. As you further inspect the contents of the envelope you see that there are also train tickets to Prague and you are now confirmed in your suspicions that your cousin Syd must be behind it. Everything he has now told you about his Lessendgames becomes relevant. And, besides, you have signed consent forms in furtherance of being given a view from under the hood.

By giving a view from under the hood the parameters of the Lessendgame are only altered and not neutralized. The lines before you should serve as the reminder of the power of imagination. Perhaps this is the “lesson” of this scene of your Lessendgame. For full effects, like a movie, one must suspends one’s disbelief.

Perhaps life begins at every moment. Fear not - I have magic tricks under the hood as well and your insider’s view does not mean that you are not subject to the sorcery of the Lessendgame. The view from underneath is only a partial one. I may open it but I do so only briefly. Do not believe everything that comes out of my mouth. Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive. I too will play the game. Such is the nature of the Lessendgame - just as it is a puzzle to the participant it is a puzzle to its maker. Together we shall make this one which is now called “Under the Hood” or “Brno or Bust.”

I will also be playing the game for I will have forgotten about this letter when we meet again in Prague when another scene of your Lessendgame will begin. Such is the nature of the wizardry I have employed. Like an alchemist, I have blended elements from the different spheres to create a sort of heaven for the lucky participant. It is thus vital to ponder the scenario presented in the lines above. Perhaps you could consider it as literature or conceptual art or, even, stage direction. Such is the nature of the universe we have now entered. Everything is connected and one must only look to see the signs of a heaven coming true.

But it is improvised and therein lies the freedom and excitement of this Lessengame. Scenarios are introduced but not scripted and the art of life is “permitted” to flow freely. By doing this artwork we turn situations, dialogues, rooms, places and people into artworks. There is also a philosophical dimension at play in the work and there are references to different artists as you shall see. Perhaps that will be part of the Lessendgame. Mr. Van Aldoos will have much to say on the matter when you meet him half drunk on the streets of Kyjov.

I have been preparing you for a Lessendgame for some time as you’ve realized. It is important that you bring all the envelopes with you to Prague. There are also objects included in your Lessendgame but, for travel reasons, we shall leave them at home. The material aspect of the Lessendgame will be assembled in the months after our return to Canada. Perhaps we can shoot the scenario I have just outlined above and pretend that it happened for real. A mockumentary as the saying goes...

This is not a letter as such and should, rather, be treated as an artwork. Feel free to write upon it if you wish. Perhaps we’ll do something with it when we are in a later stage of the Lessendgame. Remember, these projects can last for years. I always consider such works to be open for, as long as I have a relationship with the participant, alterations and progressions can be made. Furthermore, I like to include pieces in my labyrinth to connect it with my larger creation. I trust that you will be bringing your camera which will add an interesting element to the Lessendgame. Perhaps your “document” of the experience can also become a part of the “artwork.” In this way we can set up a mirror and truly work together as artists. Maybe we can include a picture of you taking a picture of me and visa versa. This could be but one small twist in our journey to the heart of Europa.

As I write this I have but a vague picture of what the Lessendgame will entail but my mind is filling up with possibilities. We have already worked together and I consider the website to be the beginning of our enterprise in a professional sense. Furthermore, I have been directing you in certain directions with your reading. Though they were meant as recommendations, I realize now that your reading of certain books also fit in with this art project. You will meet the Philosopher King, Howard Roark, Van Norden and the soul of our good old friend Syd Tovenaar. You will also meet a host of other characters in your tour of the universe called Czech. Perhaps you could imagine your flight as a trip through space and that Europe represents a different planet. Such are the possibilities of the imagination and what beautiful thoughts they are! There are also dream machines in Czech as you will see.

Stepping into Czech is like stepping into a different world. Its identity is somehow different from its Western counterparts though in history it has been one to turn to the West. Some of my friends argue that there has come an end to an era in Czech with the exit of Havel as president. Others argue that it was over a long time before that. Others argue that it is never ending and there is always a “cool” scene if one looks hard enough. You have by the opening of this letter read the chapter titled Kyjov which dealt, in part, with those magical days when their “fairy tale” had come true. It is perhaps one of the questions of the Lessendgame.

Anyway, I simply write this document to aid you in your journey into the imagination. It is the Top Hat Man who is writing this and now I must bid adieu. I’ll have one of my friends meet you in Prague. A secret agent....