—

Blixa Bargeld

Blixa Bargeld & Teho Teardo

アインシュテュルツェンデ・ノイバウテン / ブリクサ・バーゲルト

Blixa Bargeld with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in 1986.

This equation of Mufti’s has intrigued me for some time. I read a fairly… imaginative explanation positing it as a curse of some sort (the problem is, those readings of the Futhark are based on a book which would not be written until at least a year after this photo was taken.)

To me, just looking at it, it is so clearly an equation. Addition symbol (+), multiplication symbol (X) and you can see from “chaos”, that is simply how Mufti writes the letter S. This is maths!

ᛉ is a symbol for life, sometimes used for “born” on German Gravestones. ᛦ is a symbol for death, sometimes used for “died” on graves. Σ is Sigma, a Greek letter typically used in maths for Summation.

ᛉ plus S times Sigma ᛦ NEIN

⇔ (the double arrow) means equivalence: A ⇔ B means “If A is true, B is true; if A is false, B is false”. Chaos and E (typically Energy, as in Einstein’s equation) are equivalent.

NDW 33 days (as mentioned in another blog, this is a comparison between the Neue Deutsche Welle genre, and the RAF, the Rote Armee Fraktion. Given Neubauten’s fractious relationship with the NDW, I reckon they’re expressing disdain, as in they feel they have been ‘taken hostage’ by being placed in a musical movement they feel no kinship with, for 33 days.)

Einstürzende Neubauten used equations in their work frequently. Here is a very similar equation in the lyrics for Sehnsucht:

Chaos equals ‘Sensucht’ divided by Energie. (I feel less bad about my German spelling now!) Though in Blixa’s maths, the equivalence only goes one way. Chaos implies Sehnsucht, but Sehnsucht does not always imply Chaos.

In the corner, this is expressed in a mathematical equation.

Δ (Delta, meaning change over time in maths) S equals ΔH divided by T

Does that equation look familiar? It should. It’s the the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Anyone who’ll have had even Gymnasium level Physics would recognise it.

ΔS is the change in entropy (ΔS) of a system over time (T is generally time.)

It is often said that entropy is an expression of the disorder, or randomness of a system - in other words, the symbol in thermodynamic physics, for Chaos. So “S” in Mufti’s equation is also likely to be entropy or chaos. But what’s ΔH - in Thermodynamics, H means HEAT. What’s a synonym for hot? Similar to Berlin’s favourite word… Geil. Oh, it’s Sehnsucht. (Desire. Longing. Yearning.)

It’s a mathematical pun, entropy equals heat divided by time; chaos equals desire divided by energy.

I speculate therefore, that we can assume that the S in Mufti’s equation means Chaos. The equation below equates Chaos with E (usually Energy, as in Einstein’s equation).

So my translation of Mufti’s sign is as follows:

Life, plus Chaos times the Summation of Death - NO!

Chaos is equivalent with Energy.