Josephine Baker

This artwork series is dedicated to a personality, who stands for the integrative power of music and as well for something hilghly political:  equality, antiracism, struggle for freedom, overcoming from mundane exoticism and presumptions. She is considered an “icon of emancipation” and as well counts to be the “first black superstar”. In Paris 1925 she gained publicity through the “Revue Negre”. She established the “Jazz hot” und reached international fame, while France was ‘infected’ by american Jazz  (source). 1927 she earned more money then any other entertainer in europe.

As a dancer she also counts as the bearer of “Charleston” to europe. At the beginning of her career – as a black woman wearing a banana-dress – she embodied the boundless exotism, which was dammed up till the 1920s in the white privileged society (which only gathered their richdom through most brutal slavery and colonialistic structures). This society was still far away from acknowledging the traumata that have been caused through history. As an entertainer, singer, dancer Josephine Baker was famous worldwide- she was idolised and demonised as well – she experienced terrible discrimination and contradictions- in the times of the upcoming civil right movement.

Emancipation, Integration and cheerfulness

As an older women she established the first “rainbowfamily” (the term was invented by her) with 12 war-orphans and poverty victims from europe, africa, asia and america. She supported the civil right movement and was a key speaker during the march on washington 1963 – next to Martin Luther King. As a french secret agent Joseohine Baker smuggled top secret documents during the war and also have been honored („Croix de Guerre“ and „Medaille de la Résistance“.)

“Her insatiable need to change everything is due to her childhood, in which violence and racism have been part of everyday life. When Josephine Baker was born, slavery only was 40 years back.” (source)

Dancing and Singing was her life and her cheeky, sassy and very brave style created a unique career for her- at a time, when this virtually grotesque cheerfulness was totally “en vogue”. “Dancing is the best way to keep me warm”, she said with the age of 13.

Other then with earlier series of my soundsculpture artwork (dedicated to „Diotima“,,„Bingen“ and „Rumi“), i do not find somewhat “philosophical” overlappings, which can maybe illustrate the/my tuning process with the hammer. Here I find context because of the power of music, which has the ability to connect people– and also via the key experience of “euphoria” and ecstasy. It is “carnewal”, exotism and cheerfullness of the interbellum, which i can see via the phenomenon of Josephine Baker- and all of this are categories easily to be observed also in the very enthusiastic “handpan-world”.

Icon of liberation

it is not for coincidence, that i was looking for a character from this time. Also today i see comparable patterns:  excessive celebration everyhwere and at the same time terrible catastrophes and flows of “fake news”, un-enlightenment, naivity, discrimination, exotism and also the inability to call things by name. In the interbellum not only an raging and unbound “Zeitgeist” was dominating but also the most enthusiastic party mode was on, paired with a growing desire for freedom. Also people maybe thought industrialization would solve all the problems.

I hope with my link to Baker i archieve to make a little political statement about where i see the world today and also the role of the handpan instruments: as an beautyful, exotic and wild instrument, which wants to be unbound and which also maybe can unbound human beeings – and which combines all contradictions harmonically – so to say analog to Bakers idea of the Rainbowfamily.

The famous and notorious “black venus” led a most exciting life and embodied an outstandingly interesting role. Her performances have been forbidden in many cities during Nazitimes, including Vienna. Her art was labeld “degenerated”, she was forbidden to enter fascist italy and was denied hotelrroms in USA.

“Josephine Baker wont be intimidated, ever.”(source)

It was during the 1930 that the Steelpan and the Art of steeltuning was developed in Trinidad/Tobago. This happend out of a political history of such structual violence, that i only can compare it to the power of a volcano. This analogy might be a bit unprofessional, but: Josephine Baker seems just as well like a vulcano. She emancipated herself in her complex biography – and really mesmerized people, back then and still today.

This series is dedicated full of respect to Josephine Baker and her Rainbowfamily, and as well all antiracist partisans in the days back then and also today.