Joseph Beuys
(c)SABAM België, 2017 - Courtesy private collection, photo: M HKA, 2017
Erdtelephon (Earth Telephone), 1968
Mixed Media
, 20 x 79 x 57 cm
telephone, cords, clump of earth with grass on wooden board
Erdtelephon was one of Beuys’ first works to be shown at Antwerp’s Wide White Space gallery. With Erdtelephon, Beuys wanted to show how matter can be utilised and it they can subsequently initiate mental processes. A telephone does not only convert electroacoustic signals: in so doing so, it also provides for the exchange of information between two sentient beings. By connecting the telephone to a lump of earth, Beuys suggested that interactions between nature and technology could aid creative thinking.