To Add One Meter to an Anonymous Mountain

"That is an episode that helps us understand life and living perfectly. It happened that I was at a friend's preparing the work To Add One Meter to an Anonymous Mountain (1995). I wanted to raise a mountain by one meter. The original idea was to do it with an iron box about eighty centimeters high. I wanted to try climbing up the mountain and then get into this box and stay there for twenty-four hours, like a Buddhist monk. Sadly, the day before while I was practicing, I got stuck inside the box. I was at a friend's house and they just left and wasn't going to be back for two months. My arms were free, but I couldn't open it and after a few minutes I panicked and started to shout. Luckily, one of the window was open, so a cleaner heard me and came to free me. As soon as I was free, I ran outside as I had to breathe and the contact with air made me fully realise what it means to be alive.
It was a really strong sensation, hard to describe. When I was trapped in the box, I was terrified. I kept on telling myself to stay calm, but I couldn't. Suddenly, being free made me realise how important life is. That whatever difficulties you may experience, like having no money or food, mean nothing compared to the privilege of being alive. I saw death really close up."