#leapintothevoid

Image Courtesy of MoMA

Yves Klein, Leap Into The Void

The Museum of Modern Art has a multitude of artworks that appeal to a range of different artists through their subject matter.  Usually, as an animator, I am drawn more towards pop art in the MoMA, but, on a particular trip I took to this institution this summer, I was surprised to find a spark of interest in a photograph series dedicated to its own corner.  Prior to viewing the photographs, I had always associated animation with common unrealistic portrayals, or exaggerations, and photography with the exact opposite, but my perspective was being challenged.   I had limited myself to thinking photographs depicted what was real, unless edited with technology that was not available in 1960, so it was unusual that these photographs were “unrealistic,” meaning they did not seem regularly possible to capture in everyday life.  

Although I often find myself fascinated with cartoons and animation, the photograph documentary series, “Leap into the Void,” by Yves Klein also captured my attention as it caused me to question why a person seemed to be leaping with nowhere to go but down to the concrete below them.  Yves Klein, who was captured in the photos, seemed to be carelessly falling to the ground in a way in which seemed it could injure him badly.  However, I then looked at the provided information card and realized that the artwork was titled “Leap into the Void,” and the same person was “leaping” from different platforms, so there had to be a deeper meaning behind what was being depicted.  So, I read more into the purpose of “Leap into the Void” and the documentary became clearer than it had been before.  As I did this, my thinking began to expand to recognize the many possibilities of the purpose of this artwork.

Of course, the “leaps” from the different locations were staged, with people with trampolines below to catch the leaper, and the positions while “leaping” were chosen carefully so, once the photos  were meticulously edited, Yves Klein could create the illusion of flight.  Klein achieved this edit by printing two negatives of the photograph together to be combined, one negative being the leaper with the trampoline below and the other negative being just a photo of the surrounding background.  I was still somewhat confused as to why this was chosen as the subject medium, but, as I looked once more at the photographs, I noticed that the person leaping in each photograph looked free: free from their surroundings, anything that was holding them back, just free from the world.   Reading further about the documentary, I found that Yves Klein wanted to recreate a leap that he previously took from a window.  It finally became clear to me that the artist enjoyed this feeling he once felt and wanted to document it and experience it over and over.  Klein possibly wanted to share this message through the recreation to show the audience that they don’t have to be limited to laws of gravity, or society even.  The audience may have received this, along with the thought that they can achieve anything they desire, even if it may seem “unrealistic” to others.  From this moment of discovery, I gained some inspiration to chase me desires, regardless of what others may think.  

Yves Klein even had his photograph included in the newspaper, which is included in the photo documentary, because he had convinced others that he had the ability to fly.  After coming to this realization, I was reminded of Elizabeth Streb, because her approach to art is similar to Klein’s, as both artists show the desire to “fly.”  The stunts/dances performed at the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, which are also inspired by Elizabeth Streb’s vision of art, include many stunts, even leaps, which carry a similar meaning to the leaps depicted by Yves Klein.  Streb and her action heroes, as she calls her dancers, use unique dances to express Streb’s different approach to art and invite others to open their mind and take a different approach as well, which may be rejected by some, just like Klein’s recreation.  It becomes clear that Klein took a similar approach to art as he attempted to convince the press that he was actually flying with his photographs.

As an outsider looking in, I wondered why Klein and Streb would act in such a way, but I have come to realize that there is always a purpose or message for artistic approaches, such as these artists’ fascination with flight.  Klein’s leaps and Streb’s stunts portray an inner desire in them to “fly” or stray away to the confines of society, just as any accomplishments I achieve or art I create represents my personal opinions, beliefs, desires, etc. I thought about my personal “leap” into my future as I prepare for college.  In a way, I will be leaping from where I stand, whatever is behind me, or from anything that could have been holding me back from furthering my education and attaining a rewarding career.  My own “leap into the void” will occur as I enter a world filled with opportunities and experience that I have never explored before, while not knowing what to expect.  How I leap, just like Yves Klein’s leaps, will depend on the message from my inner thoughts and desires that I want to portray to others.  My leap will also depend on the confines of society I choose to test and defy for my own satisfaction, which may even inspire other individuals as Klein’s photographs inspired me.