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A GIFT FOR JOSEPH BEUYS: 3 POTS FOR THE FUTURE

An invitation to participate in an action and publication for the Joseph Beuys Centenary

What is the action “A Gift for Joseph Beuys: 3 Pots for the Future”?

Joseph Beuys’ three pots in his “Honey Pump at the Workplace”, although physically empty, hold another kind of substance.  Without disturbing the mysteries these pots contain, it is time for us to try and articulate what we think Beuys left us that can nourish us on our journey to shape a humane and eco-social future.  What do you think Beuys left us that is so valuable for the future?

This invitation is not about restating what Beuys said and intended. So, you do not need to be a Beuys expert to participate. If one is interested in Beuys’ social sculpture vision, we each need to do the work to ‘make sense’ of his ideas and proposals: to make the imaginative effort to articulate, share and carry forward the substance in the 3 archetypal pots!  The gift to Beuys is your understanding of the substance in his work and life that you think is really needed for the future.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
There are three different ways to share what you think Beuys left us

1) In person in the Survival Room in Kassel, on one of the dates below [up to 6 people]
2) By making your contribution in a small online event [6 -10 people]
3) By contributing a 500 word text.

An online publication will be created from all these contributions.

For this purpose all live and online contributions will be recorded, with your permission.  You will be asked to transcribe the recording yourself, and create a 500 word written text, for inclusion in the online digital publication.   A number of these contributions will be expanded into an edited paper based publication: “A Gift for Joseph Beuys: 3 Pots for the Future” [in 2022].

PARTICIPATE IN THE SURVIVAL ROOM IN KASSEL
July 
Saturday 3 July 14.00 -16.00, Sunday 18 July 10.30 – 12.30;  14.00 -16.00

August
Friday 27, Saturday 28, Sunday 29
Each day 10.30 – 12.30; 14.00 -16.00

September
Saturday 25, Sunday 26
Each day 10.30 – 12.30;  14.00 -16.00

PARTICIPATE IN ONLINE EVENT
August
Tuesday 17 August, 9.00 – 12.00 CET and 18.00 -21.00 CET
Friday 27 August  12.00 – 14.00 CET

September 
Saturday 25 September  18.30 – 21.30 CET

DEADLINES FOR ONLINE PUBLICATION
Deadline for your 500 word text – if you are participating live in Kassel or in an online group – reworked from the transcription, is 15 October 2021, latest.

Deadline for 500 word written texts only is 25 September 2021.

Selected contributions will be invited to be expanded on for the paper-based publication: “A Gift for Joseph Beuys: 3 Pots for the Future” [in 2022].

NOTE ON LANGUAGE
It might be best to write your text and/or prepare your online presentation in your first language.

Live and written contributions do not have to be in German or English. You will, however, need to provide a good English or German translation for both the digital and paper based publications, as well as for the in-person and online presentations.

Please let us know if you want to participate, in which month, and in what form (1, 2 or 3).

CONFIRM INTEREST BY…
End of July  for 27, 28 and 29 August, 2021

End of August  for 25 and 26 September, 2021

Send confirmation and preferences to info@socialsculpturelab.com with
3 POTS – A GIFT for JOSEPH BEUYS  in the subject line.
 

“In making the 3 pots in the Survival Room in the Kassel-21 Social Sculpture Lab, I realised that they are containers of the accumulated suffering of the past. At the end of the lab they will hopefully contain new vision for ways forward beyond unnecessary suffering!” [Shelley Sacks]

This action – live in the Survival Room in Kassel’s Neue Galerie and online, is one of many ‘Connective Practice’ explorations, actions and enquiries in the Kassel-21 Social Sculpture Lab.  All these enquiries look at the future potential of Beuys’ social sculpture ideas and proposals. They also explore my connective practice approach and other intersecting initiatives.

Copyright: The action “A Gift for Joseph Beuys: 3 Pots for the Future” and the contents of this text are the copyright of Shelley Sacks and the Kassel-21 / Social Sculpture Lab.