Rabbit Moon

“greetings ancient moon!

Moon, often I have asked myself which is the easiest to divine:
the altitude of the moon or the depth of the human heart
I may say that despite the altitude of the moon
it cannot be compared in this respect with the depth of the human heart
Psychology has much to learn.(…)

Tell me, ancient moon
will you be my brother?
Ignorant of your secret destiny,
everything about you interests me
Are you the abode of the prince of darkness?”(1)

Exhibition view Artary Stuttgart 2011

For centuries, myths have been constructed in an attempt to decipher the natural world and its phenomena.(2) Through such mythologizing, the rabbit and the moon have been written into cultural significance as emblems of our own untamable wild psychological states. These archetypes have come to embody, among many things, the inaccessible regions of the human psyche– that which is neither conscious nor unconscious– beyond psychology (3). These myths not only function to “harness the moon” and “constrain the population of rabbits,” moreover these stories attempt to explain the inexplicable. We are empowered by our natural inclination to explain what we cannot control. The uncertain and the chaotic are identified in relation to ourselves, transforming through metaphor into mythical explanations which become definitive. Through this, we aim to control that which we cannot suppress– that which recurs, regenerates, and multiplies. The moon, although cyclical in its apparent transformation, belongs to a universe with ever-increasing entropy, on an unwavering trajectory toward eventual cosmic heat death. Likewise, populations of rabbits serve as catalysts for their own destruction, continuing to multiply as they overextend their territories and resources. (4) Translation becomes an exercise in futility.

An open and indecipherable field for subjective perception, the works featured in this exhibition do not attempt to define particular phenomena, nor do they function to reveal any mystery about the psychological states of their author, or the cultures which gave rise to the mythological interpretations to which Buck refers. Rather, the works suggest a rejection of the transcultural myth. Our destiny, much like that of the objects Buck has created, lingers in the unknown. This exhibition is an invitation to participate in this mystery. Your destiny is, and will remain secret.

Text: Amanda Moore

(1) Deep is the Ocean - High is the Moon Ulrike Buck. 2011. Video. Text appropriated from: Week End. Jean Luc Godard. 1967.

(2) Since ancient times, cultures the world over– China, India, Europe, Egypt, the Americas– have developed tales which reference both the rabbit and the moon. Such stories include; the Buddhist Story of the Sacrifice of the Hare; Alice in Wonderland; The Tale of Eostre, Celtic Goddess, and her transformation into a hare at the full Moon; the Aztec legend of the god Quetzalcoatl, „The Bunny Girl“ was mentioned in conversation between Houston and the Apollo 11 crew just before the first moon landing; the Moon Rabbit, the Goddess Chang’e, and the elixir of life.

(3) In the field of astrology, the moon has also come to represent the subconscious mind.

(4) Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. London, John Murray. 1859.

Rorschach Hare
Vinyl table cloth, silicon, 140 cm, 2011

Moon Mirror
Moon surface sandblastet from both sides, adjustable wall attachment, 55cm, 2011

Roots
Photography 2011

White Rabbit
Wood, silicon, wire, glass 2011

Nimbus
neon, hazelnut, silicon, 2011

The Great Hare
Macrophotography on aluminium dibond, oak frame, 210x100cm, 1987/2011

Isis Pendulum
turned wood, enamel, 80x22cm, 2011

Deep is the Ocean - High is the Moon
Video 5:16 min
Drums: Raphael Sbrzesny
Ulrike Buck 2011

	“greetings ancient moon! Moon, often I have asked myself which is the easiest to divine: the altitude of the moon or the depth of the human heart I may say that despite the altitude of the moon it cannot be compared in this respect with the depth of the human heart Psychology has much to learn.(…) Tell me, ancient moon will you be my brother? Ignorant of your secret destiny, everything about you interests me Are you the abode of the prince of darkness?”(1)
Exhibition view Artary Stuttgart 2011	For centuries, myths have been constructed in an attempt to decipher the natural world and its phenomena.(2) Through such mythologizing, the rabbit and the moon have been written into cultural significance as emblems of our own untamable wild psychological states. These archetypes have come to embody, among many things, the inaccessible regions of the human psyche– that which is neither conscious nor unconscious– beyond psychology (3). These myths not only function to “harness the moon” and “constrain the population of rabbits,” moreover these stories attempt to explain the inexplicable. We are empowered by our natural inclination to explain what we cannot control. The uncertain and the chaotic are identified in relation to ourselves, transforming through metaphor into mythical explanations which become definitive. Through this, we aim to control that which we cannot suppress– that which recurs, regenerates, and multiplies. The moon, although cyclical in its apparent transformation, belongs to a universe with ever-increasing entropy, on an unwavering trajectory toward eventual cosmic heat death. Likewise, populations of rabbits serve as catalysts for their own destruction, continuing to multiply as they overextend their territories and resources. (4) Translation becomes an exercise in futility. An open and indecipherable field for subjective perception, the works featured in this exhibition do not attempt to define particular phenomena, nor do they function to reveal any mystery about the psychological states of their author, or the cultures which gave rise to the mythological interpretations to which Buck refers. Rather, the works suggest a rejection of the transcultural myth. Our destiny, much like that of the objects Buck has created, lingers in the unknown. This exhibition is an invitation to participate in this mystery. Your destiny is, and will remain secret. Text: Amanda Moore (1) Deep is the Ocean - High is the Moon Ulrike Buck. 2011. Video. Text appropriated from: Week End. Jean Luc Godard. 1967. (2) Since ancient times, cultures the world over– China, India, Europe, Egypt, the Americas– have developed tales which reference both the rabbit and the moon. Such stories include; the Buddhist Story of the Sacrifice of the Hare; Alice in Wonderland; The Tale of Eostre, Celtic Goddess, and her transformation into a hare at the full Moon; the Aztec legend of the god Quetzalcoatl, „The Bunny Girl“ was mentioned in conversation between Houston and the Apollo 11 crew just before the first moon landing; the Moon Rabbit, the Goddess Chang’e, and the elixir of life. (3) In the field of astrology, the moon has also come to represent the subconscious mind. (4) Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. London, John Murray. 1859.
Rorschach Hare Vinyl table cloth, silicon, 140 cm, 2011
Moon Mirror Moon surface sandblastet from both sides, adjustable wall attachment, 55cm, 2011
Roots Photography 2011
White Rabbit Wood, silicon, wire, glass 2011	Nimbus neon, hazelnut, silicon, 2011
The Great Hare Macrophotography on aluminium dibond, oak frame, 210x100cm, 1987/2011
Isis Pendulum turned wood, enamel, 80x22cm, 2011

Deep is the Ocean - High is the Moon Video 5:16 min Drums: Raphael Sbrzesny Ulrike Buck 2011