A little over a week ago the city of Grand Rapids awoke to find a man dangling from a pole projected beyond the corner of a downtown building. Some people called the police, some called the fire department, and some just shook their heads and kept moving right along.
It turns out that the man was Sigmund Freud. Well, not the real Sigmund Freud, but a sculpture created in the likeness of Freud. Apparently, it's some sort of public art installation that has been making the rounds of cities throughout the country — only this time someone forgot to notify the authorities ahead of time.
Although Freud still had his bird's-eye view this morning, I don't know how long he'll remain suspended there, so I thought I'd better take a picture of him before it's too late.
Coincidentally, I'm working on a freelance project now, building a web site for a group of psychoanalysts. I'd love to know what they would have to say about this work of art.
Wow - what an opportunity! You could suggest this to your client as cover art for their web site, with copy such as, "Want to quit feeling like this guy? Come see us at Down to Earth Associates to talk it out."
Hi Karl,
My wife, the real psychologist (although she has been through psychoanalysis), apparently has no time for Freud these days. So, I am left to pick up the psycho-mantle. What Siggie would say, regarding the death instinct, and I quote from Beyond the Pleasure Principle is, "It may be that, however, that this belief in the internal necessity of dying is only another of those illusions which we have created 'um die Schwere des Daseins zu entragen' . In English, words, the death instinct exists 'To bear the burden of existence'.