Sauerkraut Score

Joseph Beuys is considered to be one of the most influential European artists of the post-war era. As the pioneer of happening and performance art and a leading figure among Fluxus artists, his works include sculptures, installations, and graphics, as well as those based on art theory and education. Developing a strong interest in shamanism, healing traditions, spiritual science, religion, humanist thought and politics, Beuys explored the social and political impact of art, to reveal the possible roles it can assume.

"Sauerkraut Score (Sauerkrautpartitur)" was produced during Joseph Beuys and Henning Christiansen’s concert “Ich versuche dich freizulassen (machen)” [I am trying to set (make) you free)] that took place at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts in 1969. Consisting of a music desk randomly covered in sauerkraut, the work suggests letting life, daily sounds and music be heard or performed beyond the traditional and restrictive forms of performance.