In 1926: living at the edge of time - Monoskop

116 ARRAYS
A similar sado-masochistic dynamic attracts thousands of paying spectators
to the hunger artists' cages-although it is often disguised under
various philosophical and even theological discourses. The crowds in
front of the cages admire the paradox of a human existence which,
isolated from its earthly nourishment, acquires a quasi-transcendental
aura: "We sip the wind, we taste the gases, / smoke fat with oil, coated
in flaming red / we savor, and when it snows we graze the ground up.
Mouth patched up" (Becher, 134). [see Immanence vs. Transcendence]
With erotic pleasure, the spectators gaze at signs of putrefaction on the
surface of bodies that seem close to the threshold between life and death:
"For such a starving body grows budding ulcers / Look, they spring up
around my throat in various colors" (135). Above all, hunger artists
impress their audience because they seem to confront death with open
eyes: "I still can feel it at the joints: /1 am still flesh and bones. You,
Light, / but slowly feed my death" (136). [see Boxing, Bullfighting, Endurance,
Mountaineering, Mummies, Six-Day Races, Immanence =
Transcendence (Death)] Like many professional athletes, hunger artists
take their bodies to the limit between life and death-but unlike, say,
boxers or bullfighters, they are free to choose the moment that ends the
self-inflicted lethal threat. Like champion long-distance runners, the best
hunger artists are striving to break records-but instead of pushing the
limit as far as they can, they normally conclude their fast once they have
beaten the previous mark. In late March, in Berlin, the hunger artist Jolly
sets a new world record by going without food for forty-four days. On
April 21, also in Berlin, the hunger team "Harry and Fastello" surpass
this feat by just one day. Almost exactly a month later, on Saturday, May
22, Fred Ellern in Vienna concludes a public fast of forty-six days and
six hours (Chronik, 98).
Since no one knows precisely where the boundary between emaciation
and death lies for individual bodies, only death can prove that hunger
artists have gone to the ultimate limit, and that, like the best boxers or
mountain climbers, they have completely abandoned the principle of
self-preservation. This problem of obtaining evidence of hunger artists'
willingness to face lethal danger may account for the fact that the market
for their performances has become unstable, although enthusiasm for
professional sports in general is rapidly growing. While Jolly earns more
than 100,000 marks from ticket sales, Harry and Fastello draw few
people-not even enough to cover their expenses. To counter this de-