Robin Stein
A log-book on art (3)
How to explain paintings to the dead hare
As we said: Even if you plan a passage to art, an expedition
that perhaps transgresses the limits of so called Great
Art or Academic Art, a log-book on art cannot renounce
prominent support. Usually you start running out of
money, because preparations of the journey are much
more expensive as even an experienced supercargo would
have estimated. Things happen to end the journey, before
it was started. One sits around and has to keep cool.
No wind, no word. You start telling stories to eachother
to kill time. And in the evening you write your entry
to the log-book, this silent comrade that just listens
without loosing his patience.
We don't want to compare a log-book with a dead hare
- even if this little comrade listens without loosing
his patience too. But there are times of forced interruption.
And then the log-book helps adventures of art to be
continued. The log-book - only for short passages,
evidently - becomes part of the journey too. And sometimes
- the writers subject beeing on nightshift - you cannot
distinguish between dreamt plan and planned dream,
and the voyage continues before it really started.
It was 26th of November 1965 that Joseph Beuys commits
a fundamental pedagogical act. It happened in the city
of Düsseldorf at the Rhein, in Germany. And the
place was the Gallery Schmela. Here Beuys showed how
to explain paintings to the dead hare:
Beuys, whose head is covered with honey and golden leaves,
holds a dead hare in his arm and carries him, walking
through the exhibition and talking with him, from painting
to painting, makes him touch the paintings with his
pawns. After ending his round Beuys sits down on a
chair and starts explaining the paintings to the hare
carefully, because, as Beuys says, "I don't like
to explain them to people".
We tell our log-book on art about it, because we thought
about an example that shows of which kind the risky
encounters of our planned expedition could be. Nobody
shall say he didn't know about possible situations
and confrontations.
Perhaps it is necessary to mention, that people of foreign
tribes or affairs are not mad, even if it seems so
to the voyager. Remember: We are going to visit art
in its own realm, so please behave! Everything is allowed:
you can point with fingers at people; you can laugh
at situations or happenings; you can lick and suck
the honey from your fingers if you touched a living
thought; you can ask the dead hare what Beuys explained
to him; you can read a log-book on art as an artificial
enterprise; but please, if you want to travel with
us, please don't understand too quick.
We are still preparing our voyage, because - sorry -
we do not want everybody as participant. People who
are so skilled that they already know what the will
find in the end for example. No chance, sorry. Soldiers?
No, what for? (If they throw off their uniformity,
perhaps ...) Politicians? Listen, it really depends
on. If you want to help us to start our voyage soon,
look around: We need a cook!