CONCLUSION

‘Self-developing sculpture’ is beautifully illustrated by the Lévi-Strauss pottering process, in which the potterer has only a limited control over the result. It is thus less a process than an event, which Lévi-Strauss defines more generally: ‘The event is nothing but a contingency mode, whose integration (perceived as necessary) into a structure generates aesthetic emotion…’

Only recently has science been willing to admit that contingency is the most universal principle of developments , that its history does not tally with the eternal laws of nature and is hence unpredictable. Hard though it may be for us to accept this, even the history of the human race – including our most banal daily occupations – is determined by contingencies. Herein lies the more profound truth of Joseph Beuys’ much quoted statement that art is life and everybody is an artist. Here, too, an approach crystallizes into a better understanding and the acceptance of sculptures in public spaces. Public decision procedures, fund-raising, structural engineering calculations, weather, architectural space, prior public hearings – all these are contingencies which play a part in a sculpture’s realization but which reach far beyond the boundaries of the limited art context, thereby opening up an approach for a lay art public.

Once a sculpture is in place the only further contingencies are destructive: public rejection, vandalism, decay. Guidance for the public while the project is being carried out and after its completion – guidance aimed at breaking down prejudice and at persuading the public to identify with the sculpture – is vital. The isolation of our art institutions must also be borne in mind, for not everybody can be assumed to be familiar with contemporary art. Once a sculpture is widely accepted as a landmark – a status comparable to that of a memorial – vandalism and decay can be forestalled within limits. The designation of an owner responsible for upkeep is in any case essential.

Translated from German by Ruth Koenig