This week’s seminar introduced us to a new concept, Gesamkunstwerk or ‘Total work of art’. The term was coined by German philosopher Karl Friedrich Eusebius Trahndorff in his 1827 work Ästhetik oder Lehre von Weltanschauung und Kunst. However, composer Richard Wagner’s concept of gesamkunstwerk is probably what most of society is more familiar with. Wagner described gesamkunstwerk as a culmination of different forms or mediums of art into a single, unified work. Since opera allowed for the blending of theatre, set design, music, and art, he considered it to be the purest form of art.
And with that, our group discussed the art installation called the Remembering (2009) by Ai Weiwei, originally installed on the facade of the Haus der Kunst in Munich.
This was my first time learning about Weiwei and researching more about him and his works, has only made me appreciate the act of activism through art even more. Weiwei, a contemporary Chinese artist and activist has made several controversial works challenging the Chinese government and their excessive use of power, spreading of false truths and downright neglect of human rights and other wrongdoings. ‘Remembering’ is one such art piece of his. This piece was a result of his investigation into the corruption in the construction of the schools that collapsed during the devastating earthquake in 2008, Sichuan, China, that took over 80,000 lives. It was made from 9000 children’s backpacks of different colours: red, blue, white, yellow and green, and spelled out a quote from a mother whose child died in the calamity.
Freedom of speech is a concept that now seems to be taken for granted by many, especially in western countries, that is, at least in my opinion. This has made Weiwei’s art even more unique and important to me. Even with the strict policing and restrictions that the Chinese government has on the internet, Weiwei has managed to use his art as a medium of communication with the outside world and to spread important messages, an act that has earned him the title of “China’s Most Dangerous Man”.
We asked ourselves, “can this be considered a total work of art”?
Art is, and forever will be subjective to me. It’s all in the eye of the beholder, irrespective of the intentions behind it. And I think that applies in this case as well. Some might argue that it cannot be considered a total work of art since it doesn’t really have many mediums coming together to form this one whole piece and that was after all, how Wagner defined gesamkunstwerk. However, to Weiwei, this probably is a total work of art. The installment’s use of children’s backpacks gives it a more intimate and devastating feeling as well. It reminds me of another installation at the Jüdisches Museum in Berlin, named “Schalechet” or “Fallen Leaves” by the Israeli artist Menashe Kadishman. It includes more than 10000 heavy metal plates cut in the shape of faces with open mouths. The work is aimed to showcase and represent the absence of Jews from the German society. The viewers are also encouraged to interact with the exhibit by walking over the plates and this brings about a sense of eeriness throughout.
And so, yes. I do believe that both can be considered as a ‘Total work of art’.
What about animation?
As an aspiring story/visual development artist who’s interested in both the animation and game industry, I would like to relate the concept of gesamkunstwerk to my area of study as well.
When Wagner popularized the term gesamkunstwerk, it was more commonly associated with architecture, and he considered opera houses to be the closest to his idea of a total work of art. He was intent on creating the perfect one and his later works or operas strove to realize his idea of a gesamkunstwerk. However, with the evolution of technology and other developments in the field of art, the concept of a total work of art has been changing over time to be more inclusive. Going by his concept, I believe that an animation or a video game fits the bill perfectly. An animation consists of a storyline, concepts, sounds, background and character designs, music, and other special/visual effects, all of which classify as different forms of art coming together to form one whole piece. A work I would like to consider as an example is the “Lone Digger” music video by the electro swing group Caravan Palace and directed by Double Ninja. The video uses anthropomorphic animals as the main characters and depicts a gang war that takes place in a bar of sorts. The story, although simple, represents a message of power and dominance among groups and is in contrast with the lyrics of the song which is just about a lone digger, someone who keeps dancing even when they’re the only person to do so. The entire music video has a vivid and vibrant art style, a storyline with a compelling message and a banger song in the background. How can one not call it a total work of art then? That being said, video games might take the edge for me since they have all the components that an animation has, plus interactivity. With interactivity, you’ve closed the circle. Most video games these days provide an interesting narrative, great visual experiences and the ability to immerse ourselves in them and interact. And so, in my opinion, video games are probably the closest we have to a ‘total work of art’ in this day and age. And with virtual reality on the line, who knows what else we might achieve.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Caravan Palace (2015) Caravan Palace-Lone Digger (Official MV) Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbQgXeY_zi4 . [Accessed: 16 Oct 2023]
Fotoeins Fotographe (2013). My Berlin: Shalekhet (Fallen Leaves), Jewish Museum Available at: https://fotoeins.com/2013/04/02/shalechet-jewish-museum-berlin/ . [Accessed: 16 Oct 2023]
Martin, N. (2023). Gesamtkunstwerk, the total work of art through the ages. [Online] Available at: https://magazine.artland.com/gesamtkunstwerk-the-total-work-of-art-through-the-ages/. [Accessed: 16 Oct 2023]
Trahndorff, K.F.E. (1827) Aesthetik oder Lehre von der Weltanschauung und Kunst, Aesthetics, or Doctrine of Worldview and Art, Volumes 1-2. Berlin, Brandenburg: Wentworth Press. [Online] Available at: https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_h54vAAAAYAAJ/mode/2up . [Accessed: 16 Oct 2023]
Weiwei, A. (2018). Ai Weiwei: The artwork that made me the most dangerous person in China. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/feb/15/ai-weiwei-remembering-sichuan-earthquake . [Accessed: 16 Oct 2023]
Weiwei, A. (2018). 4972.jpg [Online] Available at: https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/c9eaac83759424ce287f4eb21c1a8af236d97759/495_168_4972_1559/master/4972.jpg?width=880&dpr=1&s=none
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