Noah Rudolph

Artist Catalogue

Virtual Exhibition

Sisyphus and the Embodied Journey

The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labour. (Camus, 1990 53)

My work evolves from a personal experience of despair, of being unable to affect change in the world, any action of mine being futile in contrast to those of governments and corporations. In the face of these colossal figures bigger than myself, my work is about acting in spite of this experience, using the opportunity to find and shoulder the burden of this planet’s preservation and protection.

Sisyphus is, to me, the figure of embodied action, labour and toil, and thus acts as the entry point for me to an embodied act of shouldering such a burden. I seek to find and express the beauty of such labour by bringing together an assortment of found objects, fabrics and materials that I use to create the clothes and backpacks of my ambitions. I do this so that I may attempt to embody and perform their purpose, to find value and meaning in what the objects do and what they might bring to the world.

Camus explores how in a world reduced to futile exertion, Sisyphus must come to grips with his fate. Sisyphus, with the embracing of his fate, is empowered to engage with his world. It is no longer that of the gods, but that of his own. Each repetition is only a part of his journey, the futile act the gods gave him becomes his purpose, his life’s goal, and maybe in the end, it is no longer futile.

Sisyphus teaches us that we should not fear toil or labour at all. Before his life of singular focus, avoiding shouldering any burden left him deceiving and conniving. We each differ from Sisyphus in that we get to choose our own boulder, our own Burden. It is something that gives us an opportunity to conquer despair. Sisyphus does not promise it to be easy but shows those brave enough to embody their burden more than we can imagine. Sisyphus asks us to choose our own burden, such that, in the face of futility, we may too possibly find the simplicity and beauty in our labouring to achieve it.

This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy. (Camus, 1990 55)