The Pack, Installation artwork in Neue Galerie, Kassel, Germany
This artwork comprises a Volkswagen Type 3 leading twenty-four wooden sleds arranged in V-formation, each loaded with felt rolls, fat blocks, and flashlights. The configuration resembles an emergency escape convoy, with the vehicle positioned as the guide and the sleds trailing behind.
Joseph Beuys created this work in 1969 as an artistic response to periods of instability, drawing on his own wartime experiences. The piece served as an emergency symbol reflecting the collective post-war experience of Germans.
The work merges factory-made vehicles with primitive sleds to express survival and resilience in harsh conditions. Visitors encounter a direct conversation between modern industry and basic human need through this stark juxtaposition.
The artwork is housed in the Neue Galerie as part of its permanent collection and is regularly accessible to visitors. Special conservation techniques protect its organic materials from deterioration over time.
Each sled carries identical items: a felt roll, a fat block, and a flashlight, with one distinguished by its lamp placement as the lead creature. This uniformity with subtle variation creates a quietly puzzling order that visitors often overlook at first.
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