Autodestruktiv konst: Gustav Metzger, Pete Townsend och världens sönderfall
·10 min
The episode begins by setting the scene in 1959 London, a city still marked by wartime destruction yet buzzing with an underground cultural scene. It introduces Gustav Metzger, an artist who witnessed bombing and lived under the threat of atomic weapons after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Metzger's background as a Polish Jewish refugee is detailed, including how his parents were killed in 1943, which deeply influenced his perspective. His political activism is highlighted through his involvement with The Committee of 100, co-founded with philosopher Bertrand Russell, leading to a month in prison after demonstrations. In 1961, Metzger gave a court statement arguing that the current situation was more barbaric than Buchenwald due to instant annihilation, asserting his right to live through non-violent principles. The episode explains Metzger's artistic method, which systematically uses destruction in a constructive way, separating destructive elements from constructive techniques to create lasting impressions even after physical disappearance. It describes how he abandoned the role of image creator, instead initiating processes where chance played a key role. His most famous work, Liquid Crystal Projections, is noted for creating random color patterns that were adopted by bands like Pink Floyd, Cream, and The Who for their light shows. Metzger's role as a political activist is emphasized, with his lectures and manifestos containing a radical credo that spanned over 50 years, making him a precursor to today's activist art. The episode covers his most massive autodestructive project: a proposal for the 1972 UN environmental conference in Stockholm involving 120 cars in a plastic-wrapped structure that would catch fire and be destroyed, which was met with cold silence. It concludes with Metzger's death at age 91 after gaining international recognition, and how his art remains relevant amid climate threats and nuclear diplomacy, as commented by critic Pontus Kyander. The episode was produced by Olof Åkerlund for Sveriges Radio in Malmö in 2017.
