Erni Bar: The Legend of The Golden Hoop

[Dean aka Artist in Seine]

Little is known about The Legend of The Golden Hoop except for this painting on the ceiling in the State Room of the Palace of the Ducs, in Dijon, France.  You can't even find it on Google.

The Golden Hoop represents a snake biting its tail.  Yep, you guess it, The Ouroboros, from the Greek (οὐροβόρος ὄφις tail-devouring snake) is an ancient symbol.

The Ouroboros often symbolizes self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself.

Experts often disagree if the Golden Hoop ever really existed.  There has never been any proof until now.  The mystery started a week ago when I received a letter from the Post Office stating that the building where I live doesn't exist.  After a few e-mails and phone calls, the package finally arrived.  But could this really be the Golden Hoop?  With the postage being 41.99 euros ($56.21 USD, that's like 20 Happy Meals+ one milk shake), it very well could be.

I was excited, imagine the Golden Hoop in my hands and that ancient legend finally solved.  But at first glimpse, it didn't look gold.  But it did have ancient words of wisdom engraved.

After more cutting, I discovered that this was not the Golden Hoop after all.  It was a bicycle wheel rim with the following inscription; "Well der Artist in Seine.  It ain't easy being creative and original all the time.  I'm pretty sure you know that well enough.  I've found the "Bicycle Wheel" somewhere in the street.  It's now yours.  better not show it to "serious" folks.  They would most probably advise you to throw it away.

  A wonderful example of Ouroboros and extreme Mail Art.  To me it's worth more than a Golden Hoop, but it would have been nice to solve that legend I made up.

Thank you Ouroboros Erni.  I am forever in debt to you.  PS: More photos to come.  I ran out of space.

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Have either of you tried it as a halo? You could sort of glue it on to the top of your wings.

[Dean aka Artist in Seine]

I'm back on this one.  I mean, for 41.99 euros ($52 USD) you can't just let it easily go.  Since August I have been playing games with our resident curator.  I "hide" the rim in different places and see how long it takes before it is removed.

This one is the all time loser.  It lasted not much more than 15 minutes.  I think the exact phase was; "Get that thing off of there".

So far this is the big winner.  It lasted more than two weeks before anyone noticed it.  I think the exact phrase here was; "What's that thing doing up there?"

But there are more in between to come.  Watch this space.

[Dean aka Artist in Seine]

Yes Angie, I'm doing alright out of this Mail Art thing.  Barcodes, bicycle rim, plastic bucket, swimming fin, wooden puzzle, ladies undies, wait that's a mistake.  Where was I?   Oh yes, I could use some new buttons.  Keep the cement.

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

'Lov Val's story, too...

and yes, we should organize a cement-po mailing to Paris! Yay!

(me has "white cement" here and some sea sand, too :-) hee, hee, hee...

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

That's the cement-po project, Erni...yes, Vostell sent us cement and I got 

a mini BLUE car...mixed cement and added shells by the sea with blue car:

It was a "mini-monument":

by the Aegean Sea:

But should there not be a blog somewhere in 2012? Or was that THAT time of deleting :-(

[Gü]

Great story Val! - Erni maybe we could all send Dean a little cement!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

That is the BIG car cement "thing", Erni,

...but why can I not find the mini-car and cement "monuments"

we were asked to create when Vostell sent us a mini car?

I received one back in July, 2012...hmmmm? Searching..

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

A GoGomobil :-)

I think there is one in cement somewhere ....

but that would be costly to send to Paris, too 

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Thanks Angie & Snooky,

OK -- if you are going to send me that little car instead of a big Rolls or Bentley, I must tell you how it got the name 'Gogomobil'.

It was made in Germany, at a factory in Dingolfin, Bavaria. It was originally planned to call it the DMW, and it was to be a rival to the now more famous BMW;

Only one of these Gogomobils was ever made.

It was sold, at vast expense (4 DM and 51 peefings) to a Swiss industrialist.

On 1 September, 1955, he came to the factory to join in celebratng the manufacture of the first car, and to drive it home to Zurich.

It rolled off the production line.

A long-legged model in a bikini tried to perch on the bonnet for a photo, but the car was too small -- so was the bikini.

Speeches were made. Champagne was drunk.

Our Swiss friend got in the car, waved goodbye to everyone, started the engine, and set off for home.

But the car wouldn't start.

After hurried consultations, the drinking of more champagne, and the re-appearance of the long-legged model, it was decided that the Swiss man would be photographed behind the wheel of the car while the Managing Director of the company symbolically pushed it out of the factory gates (where a taxi awaited to take le Swiss to the local airport so that he could fly home,  car-less).

The Swiss sat in. The MD pushed. And pushed.

But he suffered a heart attack. His last words were (I translate loosely from the German'), "Go, GO, Please GO, F***ing stupid little mobil".

Subsequently, in memory of this heroic speech and to honour the late departed MD, it was decided to rename the car the "Gogomobil".

And so the DMW name died along with the MD.

The long-legged model lived happily ever after (mostly in the pages of underwear catalogues).

The Swiss industrialist bought a big, black Mercedes Benz.

THE END

[Gü]

Oh my! Angie I love that car!