Jean Stein

Memory of the Senses

Author(s): Cildo Meireles and Charles Merewether
Source: Grand Street, No. 64, Memory (Spring, 1998), pp. 216-223
Published by: Jean Stein
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25008323 .
Accessed: 08/10/2013 16:00

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Jean Stein is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Grand Street.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 144.32.128.14 on Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:00:06 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 CMJLO OFTHE
$ MEMORY SENSES

This content downloaded from 144.32.128.14 on Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:00:06 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 4~~~~~~~~~~~~**
-t ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~......*
. *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.........

02,
-S ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~(qgtt

...
.....
.... ..4 ~.. a ~

.
...-...
-.......lr

4414~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1

14~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This content downloaded from 144.32.128.14 on Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:00:06 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
PAGE216: BELOW: PAGE220:
Olvido (Obliuion), 1987-89. EurekalBlindhotland, 1970-75. Atraues (Through), 1983-89.

PAGE217: RIGHT:
Volatile,1980-94. Marulho,1992-97.

' I'

This content downloaded from 144.32.128.14 on Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:00:06 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 tAl

s''f-w.j ! E V '*''|
,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4
*4

?. ~ ' S.s

......
i'.i.

4p~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~K

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~d-
didi
524 V.!._

This content downloaded from 144.32.128.14 on Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:00:06 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 A .......g
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.|
.....
'4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4
- j atiK-t^0
bUt}0D ,SE,:w$zg
D ; f0tV Wj
at
ifiSSw~~~~~~~~~~~0
smSs
44t "4
st;AR- '+:l
4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
4,
4

- - .a
; f -h000f't::,ftiAffii'lft-

-
-~~ ~
< -I
" S a _-'| ~~
E _4~~'V".'~~~~'
fi.b_ '
t.
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~V

~~~~~~~~~~~~~VI a _

4" - ^ N

-
4-.
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4

This content downloaded from 144.32.128.14 on Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:00:06 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Over thepast thirtyyears,CildoMeireles has been series ofworks in the late sixties that engaged
making art concernedwith the senses and sensorial directly with life under amilitary dictatorship at a
consciousness of being in theworld. It is through timewhen theglobal economy causeddeepening
the body that we make sense of the world: insofar as conditionsof impoverishmentand dependency in
experienceand cognition aremediated throughthe Brazil. In thework lnsertbes
emcircuitosidedlogicos
body,our subjectivityisan embodied subjectivity.
As (Insertionsinto IdeologicalCircuits),Coca-Cola
MauriceMerleau-Pontyobserved in "EyeinMind" bottles and paper currencywere inscribedwith
(I964) "it is by lending his body to the world that the messages concerning theexperienceofpolitical and
artistchanges theworld intopaintings,"and in the social violence in Brazil and then placed back into
thework of theBrazilianneo-concretemovement in circulation.FollowingMarcelDuchamp's conceptof
the sixties, especiallyLygiaClarkandHelio Oiticica, the ready-made,inwhich he insertedindustrial
the body can be seen as the locationof awork of art. objects into theartworld,Meireles extended the
strategyby re-insertingthealteredbottles and
currencyback into thecommodity system.Meireles's
. . .....
N,
N,
audience thus became an author of the work.
Such works recall the notion of dematerialization, a
term coined to describe the disappearance of the art
object inmuch work producedduring the sixties.
However, inMeireles's work, theparticipationof the
subjectentails amore intimaterelationshipwith the
phenomenalworld, a relationshipinwhich the
subject'sbody is implicated.In the installationof
I970-75, Eureka/Blindhotland,
Meireles createda
spacedefined by a lightweightblacknetting, in
which he placed two hundred black rubber balls of
Inawork from I969,Meireles stood on a noisy differentweights, a soundtrackof theballs being
streetcorner inRio de Janeiro,closed his eyes and dropped to the floor and at the center, a sculpture
tried to hear sounds that were coming from as far with a scale, weights, and two wooden bars and a
awayas possible, suggesting thatwhile we do not see cross.The viewerexperiencesboth sensory
all that we hear, we sense it. This activity was part of confusion and a form of deprivation. No one sense
an explorationthat ledMeireles to a seriesofartistic seems adequate to experience the installation's
interventionsand installationswhere theaudience components, nor is the body sufficient to account for
became a participantin thework, interveningin its own relation to the world. The language of
order todisrupt the transparencyofcommuni appearance and representation have no absolute
cation.What becomes evident inhiswork is, as authority. "Blind," in the title, refers to the density of
Meireles himselfhas suggested, thepossibilityof experience, a field of sensory perception inwhich the
producingan "aestheticsas ethics"and an "ethicsas difference between theweight and volume of the
aesthetics."This approachenabledhim toproduce a rubber balls is unclear. Hence the condition of

221

This content downloaded from 144.32.128.14 on Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:00:06 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
CILDO MEIRELES

meaning inMeireles's work is dependent upon a out, the smell isof a harmless chemical compound.
physicalengagementwith thework itself,an The dangerpasses.
experienceof the intertwiningof subjectand object. The emphasis thatMeireles gives to thenon
"Sight," as Emmanuel Levinas has written, visible offers theviewera chance to enter thework,
"maintainscontact and proximity.The visible caresses tomake contact in a corporeal sense, demanding of
the eye. One sees and hears like one touches." Meireles theviewera lingeringattentivenessratherthan the
carries this idea further. His work forfeits the dom customary distanced gaze. One thinks as one hears,
inance of the visual not only as the language of art, but touches, smells.Volatileincorporatesthe livingbody

Hl
ON

CLT
QV lAro; P.. _...__. _j_
_

coe

-EE7---mmii
also as a precondition to our being in theworld. To that, as itmoves through space, provides
challenge vision in this way is to question the idea that perceptions shapedby recollectionand anticipation
consciousness is tied to vision and that mastery is that, in turn,disruptconsciousness.
granted to the one who sees. In Volatile (I98o-i994), This disruptiveexperience isessential tohis
the viewer enters a room seeing little more than the installationAtravs (Through).Produced in I983 and
flame and soft light cast by a partially-buried candle. later in I989, it is amaze comprised ofvelvet
As one makes one's way toward the back it is virtually museum ropes, streetbarriers,garden fences,
impossible todetermine from sight, from sound, or blinds, railings, and aquariums that act as a series of
touch, what the ground is composed of, except for the translucentscreens. In thecenterof the space there
experience of a certain foreboding as one moves is a large ball of crumpled cellophane about three
towards the light in the back of the small room. The meters indiameter,and the floor is coveredwith
strongest impression is of the smell of natural gas and eight tonsof brokenplate glass.Underscoring
theconsequent sensationof dangerpromptedby the Meireles's concept of the body as the ground of our
perception of the flame and gas together. This is the acting in theworld, the installationconfronts the
volatile situation towhich the title refers,but "volatile" viewer with a powerful sensation of physical and
only insofar as it is produced by an accumulated psychologicalunease.The apparentlytransparent
memory within the body of the participant. As it turns space provides a way through which the gaze can

222

This content downloaded from 144.32.128.14 on Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:00:06 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
pass, yet the seriesof screensand railsand strewn
glass createsa psychologicalbarrierthatimpedes
thebody-representing a spaceof interdictionand
enclosure,a limit.This sense of unease is
heightened in thework by thecrackingsoundof the
glass being steppedon. The danger is thatof
walking throughunknown territory, where clear
vision isperhapsnot enough.
The participantencounters theworld both
throughrecognitionand an estrangementof the
senses.Controlledby the space throughwhich the
bodymoves, the subjectisdefined by thehorizon of
his consciousness,whether itbe territorial,eco
nomic ormental: spacesof difference,circulation,
and confinement. InOlvido(Oblivion)I987-89,
Meireles constructeda native tentpaintedblackon
the inside,coveredwith banknotes fromcountriesof
the Americas that had once been (or remained)
inhabitedby indigenouspopulations.The tentwas
placed in themiddle of a circularareacoveredwith
bones and surrounded by a low wall of candles. The
sound of a chain saw could be heard from inside it.
Like theashes or charcoal in some ofMeireles's
other works, the bones in Olvido then are, like
memory, indissoluble.They representamemory
trace ofwhat had been before, of those who lived and
thendisappeared,thatremainsopaque.Thework
offers a critique of our demand to see,of the privilege
of the eye impliedin themetaphor of lightbeing
brought into theworld. The candles-which may be
associatedwithWestern tropesof illuminationas
knowledge and revelationas belief-cast theirlight
on a place outside of representation, a place of
forgetting. There is nothing more to be seen. Night
This content downloaded from 144.32.128.14 on Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:00:06 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
has fallen.What remainsarebones given inexchange
forcapital,a sacrificialeconomy thatfills the interior
void, voidof human lifeexcept the soundof thechain
sawdestroying the rainforest.
Thework summons us, exposes us toa recognition
ofwhat liesbetweenus and theother; itputs us face
to-facewith mortality.And yet it is also the limitsof
languagetowhichMeireles appeals in theseworks,
insofaras it is thebodilyexperiencewhich constitutes
thework of art ratherthan the simple elementsof its
construction.He introduceswhat isboth familiarand
foreign to the senses, placing us inamore precarious
situation,at riskaswe summonan accumulated
memory drawn fromsensoryexperience.We remain
as we do in the dark, swimming in an endless sea. And
yet this is not a void or a negative space towhich we
are led, for we would then lose our way and return.
In a recent work called Marulho, which means "the
soundofwaves,"Meireles constructedawooden pier
extendingovera floorcoveredwith hundredsof
copies of a book, each opened to a color photograph
of the sea. To this he added a soundtrack ofvoices of
people of all ages and ethnicities, that came and went,
washing over the viewer like waves. As the voices rose
and fell, thework provideda sensory immersionin the
world. From standing on a street corner, listening to
the sounds aroundhim,Meireles hasmoved to the
image of standing on the pier surrounded by the sea
with theworld beforehim.Through such
immersions,we become attuned to the languageof
difference, tootherswho speak, to thecommunityof
voices inwhich we findourselves.
Charles Merewether
223