One thought chases another but finds it hard to translate into action. However, creativity comes to a standstill if thinking and acting are disconnected. In this regard, a fundamental lesson was taught by the German artist Joseph Beuys. Back in the 1970s, Beuys argued that work is reflection. He spoke out against a clear separation between work, art and science. We are all artists whose thought is the invisible matter that enhances work and reconciles it with nature and science, which is not doomed to be a ruthless enemy of humanity, as the Victorian writer George Gissing feared. In our field of life, we can no longer trace a precise and linear furrow of decisions that begins in school, continues in our professional activity and ends in retirement. In his Energy Plan for Western Man, Beuys wrote that art is the ultimate possibility for evolution, the only possibility to change the world’s situation. We have to broaden the idea of art to include all creativity. It logically follows that all living beings are artists, for they can develop their capacity. Thus, society must take care of the education system to ensure equal opportunities for self-actualisation.
In close connection with the emerging Anthropocene science, Beuys questioned humankind’s impact on the planet, arguing for a behavioural and social reorganisation based on ecological awareness. His work contributed to the broadening and deepening of the study of Amazon biodiversity, the creation of art and science installations on the environmental crisis in the industrialised world, and exploratory missions to Antarctica and other places that gave voice to the ecological transition.
In Beuys’ vision, everyone can become an artist by transforming everyday phenomena and actions into Art. The discipline of ‘social sculpture’ or ‘social architecture’ allows art to operate as a powerful political tool shaping human society. These ideas were exemplified in Beuys’ works, from the six thematic blackboards in Perugia to the 7000 Oaks in Kassel. Beuys invited us to transform our actions with these creations, uniting us in a joint effort towards an evolutionary stage of humanity based on a holistic view of society and nature. In the manifesto of the Free International University of Berlin, published in 1972, Beuys encouraged a collective approach to creativity through disruptive innovative actions, using familiar materials and ingredients but finding alternative ideas, forms and recipes. Here we find the essence of the open innovation paradigm that should underpin much of corporate, social and environmental renewal and transformation.
Venturing into Beuys’ boundless prairie is an action that brings together doing with careful thinking, cultivating innovative ideas with proactive criticism. There is no map to show the way; there is no predetermined direction of travel. Those who venture to explore will carve out paths, appreciating the transdisciplinarity and beauty of imperfection sought by Beuys. Explorers will ask questions and find answers through imagination and art that are not decorative trappings. It is from people engaged in critical thinking, research and reflection on the reality of the society that we expect solutions painted in bright pastel colours for a world that today appears black.
