*___*
24 wooden sleds equipped with flashlights,
felt rolls, belts, and fat tumbling out of the back of a 1961 Volkswagen bus.
How mysterious.
That is until you delve a
little deeper. In 1944, Joseph Beuys was shot down in battle. He was rescued by
Nomadic Tartars, who dug him out of the snow and wrapped him in fat and felt to
warm and insulate him, before they returned him to a German field hospital.
Felt and fat took on lifesaving
imagery for him. But what of the other items in this installation? The belts
also held significance. In that same crash, the pilot was killed on impact.
Beuys swore that by not using safety belts he was saved, as he was thrown from
the plane, versus his compatriot who died on impact, still strapped in place.
By the time Beuys was 24, the
war ended. After being interned by the British for two months, he was released.
Sweet liberty and a return to his first love; the arts. Is that what is
captured here? Do the torches light his way to freedom and creativity?
Or is this all just symbolism
aggrandized for the observer? Beuys was known to embellish his history and the
story of his rescue could have been one of those fictions. Perhaps we need to
see the healing elements in this installation, as a means for us to see our own
light and direction more clearly?
How long will it take you to
slide out of the box and find your path?
***
This installation is fascinating, with so much room for interpretation. The
symbolism of the elements are key and that is where the story lies. While a
biography of Beuys would be interesting, as he made up his own version of his
life, perhaps fiction would be a better way to go with this piece. We create
our own truths and that is what Beuys was getting at. It reminds me of Pink
Floyd’s The Wall and other dystopian
novels that lean heavily on symbolism. I think that direction would hold the
most impact with the flashlight peering into the future paired with the
life-saving fat and felt images pulling you forward either away from or with
the pack. Don’t leave behind the tools from your past, your memories that help
you survive, but know which ones to take. The story would have to start with
that image and tie those reflections in along the way.
