Mathias Weinfurter’s exhibition Prinz der Austernpiraten brings Jack London’s metaphor of society as a multi-storied building into visual form. London, reflecting on his working-class origins and desire for social advancement, envisioned society as a structure where he began in the basement, aiming to reach the higher floors of social hierarchy.
Weinfurter’s installation features a three-meter-long steel beam suspended from silver chains in a stark, elongated gallery space. The beam, illuminated in blue light, appears to float horizontally against the concrete wall. A digital crane scale displays the beam’s weight—105.5 kilograms. The subtle vibrations caused by traffic above make the beam seem almost weightless, adding to the installation’s ethereal quality.
The choice of steel and the setting of the Ruhr region are significant. This area, historically a hub of steel production and industrialization, faced the duality of technological progress and social exploitation. The installation reflects on these themes by highlighting issues of access, resources, and social structures.
An accompanying video, viewable via QR code, shows a group of five people carrying the heavy steel beam along a desolate path. Their silent, laborious effort and the video’s dramatic perspective emphasize the collective strength and resilience of the working class—a resource that Jack London lacked in his time.
In a final act of the exhibition, the steel beam was cut into 15 pieces and stacked in a pyramid formation, with each piece resting on a scale. This transformation represents the gradual and piece-by-piece modification of oppressive structures, in line with London’s metaphor of remodelling rather than dismantling societal edifices.
Text by Elena Frickmann
Credits:
Curator: Benedikt Neugebauer // performer: Marion Avgeris, Maximilian John, Saliha Shagasi, Joachim Uerschels, Yunus Uyargil // assistant director: Fabio Rizzetto // casting: Anna Boldt // camera: Nils Bongartz // drone pilot: Fabio Rizzetto // sound-recordist: Céline Lainé // co-editor: Fabio Rizzetto // styling: Anna Boldt // photos during the intervention: Fabio Rizzetto
