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Joseph Beuys «Felt TV»
Joseph Beuys, «Felt TV» Shown in TV broadcast 'Identifications', 1970
Videostill | ©
After putting on the boxing-gloves, Beuys punches himself hard in the face. ‘A sound punch,' he remarks, and goes on, 'If I punched the TV, that would be pointless.' In his eyes, 'the viewer is much more important', being the one who has to ‘deal with’ the aggressiveness of the medium. This is the second phase in the 'filtering’ process, since after exemplary viewer Beuys has punched his own face, he takes no more notice of the information communicated by the TV set.


 Joseph Beuys
«Felt TV: Shown in TV broadcast 'Identifications'»

As a contribution to Gerry Schum's 'Identifications', Beuys adapted for television the 'Felt TV' action previously staged for a live audience at a Happening festival in Copenhagen in 1966. It was the only Beuys action executed specifically for the camera. It opens with Beuys seated in front of a TV set showing a programme which is invisible because the screen is covered by felt. The boxing-gloves used later in the action lie at the ready beneath his chair.