The Dreamer

Title of the Work: "The Dreamer"

Dimensions of the Work: 150 x 95 x 24 cm

Date when the Work was completed: 16-09-2013

Material: Paper and ink.

Techniques:

Paper moulded on a self-made gypsum mould.
The coating is a thin and transparent paper with my own handwriting.
The texts are from the book Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder.

Description:

This work shows a woman, half asleep, under a blanket.
On the blanket one sees patterns of written text - the things she is dreaming about.
Only fragments of the text are readable, most is unintelligible, like most of our dreams.

Charmey

Good! So we have to bring our lady there.

A romantic idea would have been to bear her in our arms. She is light, only 2 kg. Unfortunately we chose a more prozaic means of transport and made a wooden box, 20 kg, just slightly larger than the dreamster.

CheapCargo

Messy

Van: Agnete Simoni Mortensen
Verzonden: donderdag 8 mei 2014 00:41
Aan: Info (info@cheapcargo.com)
Onderwerp: pakket voor Zwitserland

L.S.,

Ik ga naar cheapcargo.com, log in, geef een pakketje op
voor verzending (156x98x30 cm, ca 21 kg), kies vervoerder DHL,
en krijg ophaaldatum ma 12 mei, afleverdatum ma 19 mei, EUR 89.
Uitstekend, dat klinkt prima.
Ga verder op uw website, vul afmetingen en adressen in, klik Verder,
en krijg weer een lijstje met vervoerders, terwijl ik al gekozen had.
Ook staat er een andere maximumgrootte en een andere datum
(namelijk morgen, en dat is te vroeg).  Ik ben nu aangeland
op de pagina Betalen,  maar voor ik betaal wil ik graag duidelijk zien
dat dit pakje op de juiste datum opgehaald wordt.

Heb ik iets fout gedaan dat er nadat ik voor DHL gekozen had toch
weer een keuzelijst komt? En nadat de website al een datum geprikt had,
er weer een andere datum werd gegeven?

Met vriendelijke groeten,
Agnete Simoni Mortensen

The reply tells us that they just have a clumsy website, and that all is OK provided we wait, and order this day but not before 15:00h.

Date: Thu, 8 May 2014 06:34:48 +0000
From: "Klantenservice | CheapCargo.com" 
To: 'Agnete Simoni Mortensen' 
Subject: RE: pakket voor Zwitserland

Beste Agnete,

Bedankt voor je interesse in CheapCargo.

Het is inderdaad nu nog een dubbel proces die je moet doorlopen.
Wij zorgen ervoor dat dit binnen korte tijd aangepast wordt.

Op je account zie ik nu onderstaande vervoerders.

Als je deze zending met DHL vandaag na 15:00h boekt, komt de afhaling op maandag 12 mei te staan en levering op 19 mei.

Excuses voor het ongemak!

Bedankt.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Tessy Willems

Order and pay

Get a confirmation of the payment, and address labels to print.

Date: Thu, 8 May 2014 16:55:12 +0200
From: support@cheapcargo.com
To: agsimo@xs4all.nl
Subject: Ogone: Bevestiging van uw bestelling bij  Cheap Cargo BV


************************************************************
* Uw bestelling is aanvaard
************************************************************

Deze e-mail bevestigt uw geplaatste bestelling bij Cheap Cargo BV.

Betaalgegevens
--------------

Beneficiary                           : Cheap Cargo BV
Address                               : Kerkenbos 10-15 j
                                        NL-6546 BB     Nijmegen

Besteldatum                           : 08/05/2014 16:52:11
Referentie van de bestelling          : 140008257-3
Ogone Betaalreferentie                : 1031035276

Totaal                                : 90.29 EUR

Status                                : Betaling gelukt

The Box

As agreed, Cheap Cargo came and fetched the box on Monday May 12th. This is the outside:

Transport to Switzerland

Commercial Invoice

Date: Tue, 13 May 2014 14:55:44 +0000
From: "Klantenservice | CheapCargo.com" 
Subject: Agsimo Art -  140356388 - JVGL0568746274531601 - dossiernummer:
        250504175

Goedemiddag,

Graag zou ik een commercial invoice van onderstaande zending willen ontvangen MET waarde/totale waarde.

Deze ontbreekt nu op onderstaande zending.

Graag z.s.m. even opsturen.

Bedankt!

Met vriendelijke groet,

Tessy Willems

Now our Pro Forma Invoice said EUR 0.00, and also NO COMMERCIAL VALUE. And we replied that there was no commercial value.

Van: Agnete Simoni Mortensen
Verzonden: dinsdag 13 mei 2014 17:52
Aan: Klantenservice | CheapCargo.com

Goedemiddag,

De waarde is nul euro. Dit is niet iets dat gekocht is, of wat betaald gaat worden.
Het is een kunstwerk dat enige maanden tentoongesteld zal worden.
Mogelijk wordt het na afloop teruggestuurd.

Als uw computers bij 0 Euro (zoals we schreven) denken dat er een veld vergeten is, kunt u ook 1 Euro schrijven.
Ik dacht dat we No Commercial Value hadden ingevuld.

Vriendelijke groeten,
Agnete Simoni Mortensen

Cheap Cargo asked to change the value and send the resulting invoice digitally.

Date: Wed, 14 May 2014 06:44:59 +0000
From: "Klantenservice | CheapCargo.com" 

Beste Agnete,

Zou jij dit aan willen passen op de commercial invoice en deze mij zsm op willen sturen?

Zodra DHL deze niet digitaal ontvangt zal de zending ook niet verder gaan.

Ik hoor het graag en alvast bedankt!

Met vriendelijke groet,

Tessy Willems

We did not really understand the term "Commercial Invoice" (since this package was neither commercial nor would there be any payment), and replied

Van: Agnete Simoni Mortensen
Verzonden: woensdag 14 mei 2014 12:27
Aan: Klantenservice | CheapCargo.com

Beste Tessy,

Om misverstand te vermijden: er is geen commercial invoice, dit is geen commerciële zending.
Er is alleen een pro forma invoice, en daar staat No Commercial Value.
We hebben net DHL's invoice generator nog eens uitgeprobeerd, en daar kwam geloof ik
hetzelfde uit als de vorige keer. Een digitale foto is bijgevoegd. Om duidelijker te maken
dat de nullen geen fout zijn maar de juiste waarde heb ik pijlen toegevoegd naar No commercial value.

Sorry als we hier iets fout doen. We hebben wel een beetje ervaring met DHL (binnen de EU)
maar niet met Cheap Cargo of buiten de EU, weten niet precies wat de vereisten zijn.

Vriendelijke groeten,
Agnete Simoni Mortensen

Cheap Cargo explained that one ALWAYS needed a commercial invoice for transports outside the EU, and that it needed some nonzero value, such as 1 EUR.

Date: Wed, 14 May 2014 10:39:12 +0000
From: "Klantenservice | CheapCargo.com" 

Beste Agnete,

Commercial invoice, is een factuur die gemaakt moet worden buiten de EU.
Op deze commerciële factuur moet ALTIJD een waarde staan.
Ook al is het maar 1 euro (of andere dergelijke valuta).

Er moet dus iets staan bij de waarde.

Zou je dit aan kunnen passen en mij dit op willen sturen :)

Bedankt!

Met vriendelijke groet,

Tessy Willems

So, we changed the €0.00 into €1.00 and resent our pro forma invoice (that we got from DHL's invoice generator).

Van: Agnete Simoni Mortensen [mailto:agsimo@xs4all.nl] 
Verzonden: woensdag 14 mei 2014 13:27

Beste Tessy,

Ik heb het nu aangepast. De waarde is nu 1,00 euro.
Ik stuur het formulier als bijlage.
Hoop dat het nu goed is.

Groeten,
Agnete.

So far about the value. Next about the weight. DHL's invoice generator had asked for a weight and then automatically printed 90% of that as weight of the contents, and 10% of that as weight of the packaging. In our case the truth was just the reverse, and we had corrected these values by hand. But, hand modifications are not allowed.

Date: Wed, 14 May 2014 12:21:39 +0000
From: "Klantenservice | CheapCargo.com" 

Beste Agnete,

Graag systematisch aanpassen en digitaal doorsturen naar mij.

Helaas mogen er geen handmatige aanpassingen op de commercial invoice aan.

Ik hoor het graag en alvast bedankt!

Met vriendelijke groet, 
 
Tessy Willems

OK, certain mysterious powers have certain mysterious rules. We do not know about any place where the rules are explained, but each time we are asked to do something else we try to guess as well as we can what the intention is, and to follow the request.

Date: Wed, 14 May 2014 15:25:48 +0200
From: Agnete Simoni Mortensen 

Beste Tessy,

Wij zijn vast heel onervaren, en hebben problemen met het begrijpen van
wat je graag wilt.
Geen handmatige aanpassingen: OK, we hebben de DHL pro forma invoice
generator opnieuw gebruikt, en het resultaat afgedrukt en ondertekend en
gefotografeerd en de foto voegen we hier weer digitaal bij. Is dit beter?
We hebben ons afgevraagd wat je eventueel zou kunnen bedoelen met
"digitaal" - deze nota
komt direct van de DHL webpagina, en kan afgedrukt worden, we kunnen ook
een screenshot maken, maar een ander digitaal file is er niet.
Of is er een link waar we een digitaal formulier kunnen downloaden?
We kunnen ook in plaats van de DHL website te gebruiken zelf een pro forma
invoice maken.
Dat ziet er dan veel lelijker uit, maar dan kunnen we bijvoorbeeld een PDF
sturen.
Als een digitale foto of scan niet goed is, hoe moeten we dan ondertekenen?

Met vriendelijke groeten,
Agnete Simoni Mortensen

At this point emails and telephone calls crossed each other, and Cheap Cargo confirmed by telephone that they now were completely happy. Phew!

Absence

Much later I discovered some old Track and Trace data.

This seems to indicate that the box was sent to Dutch customs, and then was returned to the sender again. Something wrong with the documents?

It is not known what happened between May 16th and May 28th.

Computer failure

Date: Wed, 28 May 2014 10:15:49 +0000
From: "Klantenservice | CheapCargo.com" 

Goedemiddag,

Omdat er helaas een technische storing is geweest in ons systeem.

Hebben we helaas de commercial invoice niet meer van onderstaande zending.

Zouden jullie mij deze nog even op willen sturen?

Ik hoor het graag en alvast bedankt!

Met vriendelijke groet,

Tessy Willems

and the same letter was repeated on Fri, 30 May 2014 08:31:52. We resent the latest pro forma invoice.

Date: Sat, 31 May 2014 20:43:41 +0200
From: Agnete Simoni Mortensen 

----- bij deze een poging om de vorige brief met bijlage nog eens te sturen

Unfortunately this invoice was black on light blue, but that was no good, it should have been black on white. No problem, we sent a black-on-white version.

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2014 12:59:58 +0200
From: Agnete Simoni Mortensen 

Hier is die dan weer.

Groeten,
Agnete Simoni Mortensen

Silence

Ha, there is Track & Trace. Look.

Aha. The box reached Swiss customs, and then? Nothing happens. Called Cheap Cargo and DHL and Cheap Cargo and DHL and Cheap Cargo and DHL and nobody knows anything. Maybe there is a problem with the documents. Maybe the postal code is wrong. Maybe...

Our beautiful lady is sleeping in her box. Will she ever wake up?

Contact Swiss Customs

Step 1: mail the helpdesk of the embassy.

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 11:18:32 +0200
From: Agnete Simoni Mortensen
To: helpline@eda.admin.ch
Subject: package stuck at customs

L.S.,

Some weeks ago I sent a piece of art for exhibition
at the "8th triennale internationale du papier"
in the Museum of Charmey.

People at the museum tell me nothing arrived yet.

Transporters tell me that the box with this paper sculpture
is sitting at customs in Zurich.

Is there any way to contact customs in Zurich, or to find out
what the situation is?

Best regards,
Agnete Simoni Mortensen

The prompt reply (apparently the Swiss computers report time in GMT):

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 09:32:46 +0000
From: _EDA-Helpline 

Dear Mrs Simoni Mortensen,

You might find the necessary contact data on the Webpage of the Swiss customs
Administration.

- http://www.ezv.admin.ch/index.html?lang=en

Best regards,

Vesna Pešić
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA
FDFA Helpline

Step 2: Mail Swiss Customs.

Thema: Waren anmelden
Betreff: package stuck at customs
Frage: Some weeks ago I sent a piece of art for exhibition at the
"8th triennale internationale du papier" in the Museum of Charmey.
People at the museum tell me nothing arrived yet. Transporters tell me
that the box with this paper sculpture is sitting at customs in
Zurich. Is there any way to contact customs in Zurich, or to find out
what the situation is?
Best regards, Agnete Simoni Mortensen

Some days later:

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 07:31:36 +0000
From: karin.meier@ezv.admin.ch

Dear Ms. Mortensen

The swiss customs system is based on self-declaration. Not the
customs, but the carrier ( Swisspost, DHL, Fedex u.a.) makes an
request for customs clearance. In postal traffic 95% of all parcel get
immediately cleared by the customs computer.
Customs authorities have no documentation about outstanding parcels.
The responsibility of storage, customs handling and transportation of
your parcel is in the hands of the carrier.

The process of importation procedure is the following:


.         The parcel gets importet by the carrier

.         The parcel gets storaged by the carrier

.         The carrier makes an electronic declaration to the swiss
customs computer = Status: "Parcel is provided at swiss customs"
but the parcel physically still is at the carriers warehouse

.         The parcel can be inspected by the customs authorities at the
carriers warehouse


At the closure of this procedure, the carrier sends you the package.

For goods with special importation rules it may be possible, that the
swiss customs authorities detain a parcel. In this case the addressee
receives a letter of the authorities for statement.

We can't judge where your parcel has remained. Please contact the
carrier instead.

Best regards.

Karin Meier
Zollfachfrau

A reply! That is good. But a general one, without concrete help.

Simultaneously..

June 11th. For the first time the DHL phone is answered by someone who says something definite. Customs need a proof of payment. Hmm. No payment was/is involved (other than for the transport itself). "Please tell customs that there is no payment. That this is a work of art, for exhibition."

So we reply the Zollfachfrau and ask

Gesendet: Mittwoch, 11. Juni 2014 13:16
Betreff: Re: AW: package stuck at customs_km

Dear Karin Meier,

Thanks for your reply. I have contacted the carrier many, many times, and they
always refer to Swiss customs that causes problems that they do not understand
or have difficulties handling.

As I understand things today, Swiss customs requires a "proof of payment", but
no such proof exists, this is not something that is bought or sold, it is
something that will be exhibited in a museum.

I had hoped for some way to contact Swiss customs, but perhaps no such way
exists?

Best regards,
Agnete Simoni Mortensen

and immediately the reply arrives

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 11:20:22 +0000
From: karin.meier@ezv.admin.ch
To: agsimo@xs4all.nl
Subject: AW: AW: package stuck at customs_km

Dear Ms. Mortensen

Please contact the custom in Zürich. Tel: 044 497 88 00.

Best regards

Karin Meier
Zollfachfrau

Now we had a telephone number, and called. A friendly customs man explained lots of things, and among the solutions he suggested the easiest part seems to be that no duty was required on pieces of art from a living artist (maybe: sent by this artist; maybe: with a value below a certain threshold).

Can we find a reference in official documents? Yes, we can.

New invoice

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 15:59:23 +0200
From: Agnete Simoni Mortensen
To: "Klantenservice | CheapCargo.com" 
Subject: Re: FW: Agsimo Art -  140356388 - dossiernr: 25846789

L.S.,

Bij deze een geheel nieuwe invoice.
Zwart wit, met een bedrag groter dan EUR 1 en een zo duidelijk mogelijke
omschrijving.
Laten we hopen dat dit goed genoeg is.
We komen er wel.

Veel groeten,
Agnete Simoni Mortensen

Called DHL again. Customs need a DDP. What is that? A Delivery Duty Paid. A declaration that seller pays all costs. Hmm. There is no buyer and no seller here. And what costs? Transport has been paid for. No import duties should be required according to this friendly man from Customs.

Just to be sure we mailed the above screenshot of the Swiss Tares site and the above description and image of "The Dreamer" to Cheap Cargo. They had assumed that this "work of art" in fact was a painting. Now they had detailed information in case anybody would ask for it. We also sent the web address of the museum/exhibition the package was sent to. (Thu Jun 12 01:49:51 2014)

Contact Swiss Customs again

Von: Agnete Simoni Mortensen
Gesendet: Freitag, 13. Juni 2014 00:00
An: Meier Karin EZV
Betreff: Re: AW: AW: package stuck at customs_km

Dear Karin Meier,

Many thanks for your reply.

The telephone number you gave was really useful.
I called and talked with a friendly gentleman and he explained the rules
and procedures. In particular, he explained that pieces of art imported by
the artist are free of duties and tax.
And indeed, this here is about a piece of art, imported by the artist.

Nevertheless Swiss Customs feels like an impenetrable barrier.
The main problem is that there is no feedback.

Our carrier comes to Customs and requests customs clearance.
Swiss customs is unhappy with something, and rejects.
The carrier tells us "there is a problem at Swiss customs".
But precisely what is wrong - we have not yet found a way to discover that.

The package was sent May 12, and was returned.
It was provided with slightly different documents, perhaps better, perhaps
not, nobody knows what was wrong the first time, and now it has been
sitting at customs the past eight days again.
We asked many experts about what the problem could be, but nobody knows,
and there is no path from Swiss Customs to us to transmit such
information.

It is a real pity. There is an exhibition in Charmey, but it looks like
our sculpture will not be in time. One month did not suffice to get a
paper sculpture across the Swiss border.

Attached the pro forma invoice that I sent yesterday, But also that last
attempt was insufficient, and did not pass today.

Would it perhaps be possible that you show this to someone who understands
the Swiss rules, and can tell us what to change?

Best regards and many thanks in advance,
Agnete Simoni Mortensen - just a lonely artist, not a big company

Half a day later:

Onderwerp: AW: AW: AW: package stuck at customs_km
Van:       nadine.hartmann@ezv.admin.ch
Datum:     Vr, 13 juni, 2014 13:29
Aan:       agsimo@xs4all.nl
CC:        marco.benz@ezv.admin.ch
           karin.meier@ezv.admin.ch

Dear Ms. Mortensen

We received your message and we had contact with the custom clearance
company DHL Express.

The custom clearance company can't declare the goods because of 3 reasons:

- the value
- the title
- size

For those reasons the send different mails and as well they called today
to 3 different phone numbers:
026 927 55 87, 026 921 34 30 and 079 600 06 65

The first step is, that the custom clearance company needs all the
information.
Then, they can write the necessaries custom papers and then it can be,
that the Swiss custom office will do a control of your goods.

At the moment your parcel is in the custom clearance procedure. It means
that the custom clearance company DHL Express has do declare the goods and
for this step the papers are not complete and you have to send them the
necessaries papers.
The parcel is not at the Swiss customs and there is not a problem with the
Swiss customs.

Kindly regards.


Nadine Hartmann
Zollfachfrau
Zollinspektorat Zürich

Excellent! Very concrete information. We should have given the title "The Dreamer" and the size 150x95x24 cm. Easy enough, once one knows that this is required.

The third point may be more troublesome - what is an appropriate value? For stuff for which there is a market one can give the market value. But I do not think there is a market for large paper sculptures. I do not expect to ever sell this. First I had given the value €0, but that was no good. Then €1, but that was no good. Then €25, but that was still no good. What should I write? The cost in time has been a few hundred of my hours, the expenses so far a few hundred euro. Maybe €400 would satisfy customs? I am a bit afraid to mention some high value since this customs man had said that import was free up to a certain limit.

No progress

I ring to DHL and the person who answers the phone tells me: there are no more problems with the papers, all has been straightened out, and the box will probably pass customs later today. (The three abovementioned telephone numbers are all of the museum. Would DHL have gotten the missing information from the museum?)

What joy! It is very late, but still, there might be a chance that The Dreamer reaches the museum before the opening of the exhibition. One day left.

Alas. No more joy after reading the disappointing track and trace status of 17:22. "Waiting for clearance at the Swiss border". That has now been the status for nine days. No visible progress, and it seems certain that my sculpture will not be present at the opening.

Monday morning. "Waiting for clearance". I call DHL, and the friendly lady who answers the phone cannot tell me what the problem is. I give her the title "The Dreamer". Ask whether a new invoice is needed, but she doesn't know and refers to Cheap Cargo.

Monday afternoon. I call Cheap Cargo, but they do not answer. The Track and Trace web page still says to contact DHL customer service. I call DHL, but they tell me to call Cheap Cargo, and to use a different company next time. I call DHL Express Switzerland, and get the phone number of the Clearance Department, which is closed at the moment.

Tuesday morning at 8h30 I call the Clearance Department of DHL Express Switzerland. "We just received the missing information this morning, and I sent the package for clearance to Customs". Good! Then maybe soon? On the other hand, at 10:37 the morning trace status appears: "Waiting for clearance". Thirteen days now.

Arrival

Cheap Cargo aftermath