The tragedy and absurdity of the laborer is found in the repetition of task, the aspiration for divergence, and the inevitability of death. Albert Camus, equates this absurdity to the myth of Sisyphus eternally pushing a boulder up a mountain. Camus claims that when Sisyphus acknowledges the futility of his task and the certainty of his fate, he is freed to realize the absurdity of his situation and may reach a state of contented acceptance. "The struggle itself ... is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy”.
The Fuel Bladder’s Envy, is a direct misunderstanding of this contentment. Through the ever-growing complexity of technology and automation of tasks, one must imagine the machine to be happy. The internal combustion engine, and the vehicle, in their ability to accomplish a task and their inability to acknowledge or desire, have become a disturbing contemporary reflection of Sisyphus himself.
The proposed performance builds on this narrative and depicts the laborer wrapped in tarp and strapped to a fuel bladder. The laborer, with no tasks other than embodying a pedestal/vessel for the bladder, becomes The Fuel Bladder themselves. Fuel lines lead down and feed an inline 4-cylinder engine which is concurrently running, burning fuel, roaring, breathing, and shaking while the human-turned-tool sits still. The two face each other and their roles become blurred as the engine becomes subject and the performer becomes object.
The performance ends when The Fuel Bladder is emptied. One may imagine the laborer, conscious of their fate, developing an envy towards the machine, desiring for the same dehumanization in order to be granted contentedness.
The Fuel Bladder’s Envy, is a direct misunderstanding of this contentment. Through the ever-growing complexity of technology and automation of tasks, one must imagine the machine to be happy. The internal combustion engine, and the vehicle, in their ability to accomplish a task and their inability to acknowledge or desire, have become a disturbing contemporary reflection of Sisyphus himself.
The proposed performance builds on this narrative and depicts the laborer wrapped in tarp and strapped to a fuel bladder. The laborer, with no tasks other than embodying a pedestal/vessel for the bladder, becomes The Fuel Bladder themselves. Fuel lines lead down and feed an inline 4-cylinder engine which is concurrently running, burning fuel, roaring, breathing, and shaking while the human-turned-tool sits still. The two face each other and their roles become blurred as the engine becomes subject and the performer becomes object.
The performance ends when The Fuel Bladder is emptied. One may imagine the laborer, conscious of their fate, developing an envy towards the machine, desiring for the same dehumanization in order to be granted contentedness.
︎︎︎