What is normal?

This month, the Mexican Wrestler reports back on something he’s discovered, perhaps you have spotted it too?

Jesus Carveros is an artist living in Rye. His work takes many forms – from spoken word and performance to appropriated found pieces to pottery, painting and sculpture. He also works with text as part of his practice.

Jesus describes himself as “a Mexican wrestler that doesn’t wrestle”. It’s more a way of life. 

“Diary Entries” is a series of text-based pieces we are publishing in Rye News. We think you might find them intriguing and inspiring…

DIARY ENTRY 448

I’m giddy with excitement.

I can’t hold it in.

I’m pretty confident I’ve uncovered a secret sect.

I’ll explain what happened.

I was walking around a local supermarket doing my shopping.

It’s such a fantastic place.

And the staff are lovely.

They are all so helpful and friendly.

And knowledgeable.

Whoever you ask.

Whatever you ask.

They know the answer.

Sometimes I test them by asking for obscure types of herbs or mouthwash or dairy products.

They always know where to find them.

When I go supermarket shopping I allow at least 4 hours.

It’s more of a day out than a shopping trip.

Parking is always an issue.

The car parking spaces are narrower than I’d like them to be.

Being a Mexican wrestler I drive an American car.

It’s a 1961 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.

It’s very long.

And very wide.

However it’s very comfy.

Like driving a marshmallow.

I always wear one of my Mexican wresters masks when I drive the Caddy.

Don’t ask me why.

So there I was.

Minding my own business.

Buying things I don’t need.

Like Twirls.

And Creme Eggs.

And Halo Top ice cream.

Halo Top is very low in calories.

Only 360 calories in a tub.

This means you can eat a whole tub and not feel guilty.

I was near the section where they sell the frozen food.

This is where I spotted what I believed to be a sect member.

She looked normal.

I think members of sects generally look normal.

This is because they don’t want to draw attention to themselves.

They want to blend in.

There was something about her.

Her intense gaze perhaps.

Or the red armband on her left arm.

This was the thing that looked most out of place.

A red armband.

She was pushing one of those trolleys that’s the size of a small car.

Some people take pride in filling their trolley til it overflows.

Then just walking about the store with it.

They often have smirks on their faces.

Are they showing off?

Do they want people to look at them and their trolley?

Do they want people to think they’re rich enough to buy lots of food?

Maybe.

Or maybe they’ve got a big family.

And they need lots of food.

It’s funny how you can view the same situation from differing perspectives.

One positive.

One negative.

And cynical.

I prefer to take a positive point of view myself.

Not thinking bad things about people I don’t even know.

The woman with the red armband had one of these trolleys.

It was piled high with all sorts of produce.

From exotic fruit to frozen pizza.

Instead of picking things up she was putting things back !

She was taking things out of her trolley and putting them in sections they shouldn’t be in.

She was relaxed and casual in her actions.

Confident.

I saw her place a frozen pizza on a shelf beside a box of Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes.

A family size pack of mint Aeros on a shelf next to a watermelon.

A bag of red potatoes in a freezer beside some frozen peas.

A loaf of bread on a narrow shelf next to a copy of Vogue magazine.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

At one point I thought I was dreaming.

Was someone really putting things where they shouldn’t be?

For the sake of it.

I watched her for 20 minutes or so.

I felt like an undercover cop.

Or a private detective.

I found myself hiding in case she saw me.

Peeping round aisle corners.

She took joy in placing products in the wrong places.

Moving stuff around.

Then something strange happened.

She stopped at the fish counter.

And stood there.

Just looking at the fish.

A man sidled up beside her.

He stopped.

They were both standing there.

Staring at the fish.

Next, the man did something unusual.

He leant forward.

And he put a bunch of carrots next to a sea bass.

Then he walked off.

This is when I spotted something I couldn’t quite believe.

The man was wearing a red armband.

Just like the woman’s red armband.

Same size.

Same shade of red.

The man had a trolley full of food and drinks.

Quietly and cautiously I followed him

He cruised up to the bread and cake section.

I saw him place 3 large tins of Heinz Tomato soup next to some Eccles cakes.

I watched him some more.

He pushed his trolley to the frozen ready-meal section.

He started taking stuff out of his trolley.

And putting it in the freezer.

Next to the frozen curry.

He removed at least a dozen tubes of Colgate toothpaste.

A small box of ear buds.

2 bottles champagne.

Some pasta in a box.

Each item was carefully placed in a freezer cabinet.

The woman with the red armband moved next to him.

She stopped.

She started putting her stuff in the cabinet next to his.

I saw her put a bunch of tulips in the freezer.

Followed by a packet of processed cheese.

At one point I could swear they were both laughing.

The pair of them standing there.

Unloading.

What was going on?

What was I witnessing?

Perplexed and confused I walked off.

I call their actions “Removing”.

Then I nearly fell over.

I saw 3 more people wearing red armbands.

Exactly the same shape and colour as the armbands I spotted on the man and the woman.

All 3 of them looked pretty normal.

But what does normal mean these days?

What is normal?

And who says what’s normal?

And what isn’t normal.

Whose prerogative is it to judge?

Maybe I’ve uncovered a sect.

They might be anarchists.

Or conceptual artists.

This could be a performance art piece.

Or maybe Removing is a phenomenon I simply don’t know about.

People worldwide might be doing this.

There could be a network of online chatrooms and websites all sharing information about Removing.

This might be a hobby.

Or a compulsion.

Or a habit that people can’t stop.

Who knows?

What’s normal to me probably isn’t normal to them.

We’re all so different aren’t we.

And isn’t that a good thing.

I’m sure some people think dressing as a Mexican wrestler isn’t normal.

Well it’s normal to me.

Image Credits: Roderick Ford .