The arrival of the BLOCH at MAPSA Richmond on the 1st of May will signal the start of a week-long planned series of events in the towns of Richmond, Hanover and DeAar. Centred heavily on story-telling, story-gathering and story-sharing; this week of events and interactions (1-6 May) will take the BLOCH as a pretext, and the landscape as a staging ground for the gathering and sharing of stories both found and personal. On the 3rd of May, artists Victoria Wigzell, Skye Quadling, Karen Tan, and Madeleine Dymond; in collaboration with musician Andrei van Wyk; will work together using music, sound recording, writing, and immersive installations created from cheap or found materials to stage an event with the aim of sharing personal and found stories between the visiting artists and the people of Richmond. This event, entitled Wat!? Wie?! Waar?! Hoe?! Die Stories Wat Plekke Skep, will take place alongside children’s workshops conducted by artist Seretse Moletsane. The 4th of May will see the BLOCH move to Hanover and DeAar, where a series of interventions organised by local artist Katie Du Toit will include school processions, a dinner around preserved KhoiSan paintings, and finally a 24-hour story telling vigil entitled 24 HR Langasem Storie-Maraton. Once gathered, the stream of recorded stories will be drafted into a publication intended for distribution within Richmond and surrounds. About the BLOCH project: BLOCH is a multidisciplinary art project created and initiated by Swiss artist duo, Com&Com (Marcus Gossolt / Johannes M. Hedinger). The project combines contemporary art with traditional popular culture and fosters dialogue between people, by sharing traditions and customs from different cultures. A Bloch is the lowest, branch-less, piece of a large tree trunk. According to an Appenzell carnival custom bearing the same name, the stump of the last spruce to have been felled in winter is drawn back and forth between the two villages, Urnäsch and Herisau, by 20 men. At the end of this day-long procession, the Bloch is then auctioned off to the highest bidder in Urnäsch village square. As a rule, someone from the region will acquire the Bloch and use it to produce a special piece of furniture or tiles and shingles. In 2011, Swiss art duo Com&Com (Johannes M. Hedinger/Marcus Gossolt) were the first Non-locals to purchase the Bloch tree trunk at a historic peak price of CHF 3000.—. They explained that they did not wish to use it as construction material but wanted it to travel around the world, making at least one stop on every continent. http://bloch.art/home/about/