F LY I N G A S H A N D S M O L D E R I N G S M O K E THE P HA RS E CO ME S F RO M T HE TA NG DY NA S T Y B U D D H I S T S C R I P T U R E S , DE S CRIB ING T HE DI S A P P E A RA NCE O F T HI NG S A ND PE O P L E PA S S I N G AWAY.
{ I N T R O }
OBJECT ASHTRAY The ashtray is one of the most inconspicuous collections from the Freud Museum, however, it reflects Freud's own living habits and relates to his psychoanalytic therapy. Although the Freud Museum increasingly collaborates with modern and contemporary art, its narrative characteristic should still not be ignored because the purpose of most visitors is to view Freud’s living space, personal effects and collections. This project might satisfy the curiosity of audience.
INTRODUCTION OF THE ASHTRAYS
Pink marble ashtray
Polished stone ashtray
Ashtray
Reference number: 3005 Period: 20th century Material: Marble Collection: Freud, Sigmund
Reference number: 3006 Culture: Austrian Period 20th century Material: Stone Collection: Freud, Sigmund
Reference number: 3010 Material: Stone Collection: Freud, Sigmund
Small marble ashtray
Ashtray in two parts
Ashtray with dark green glaze
Reference number: 3143 Period: 20th century Culture: Austrian Material: Marble Collection: Freud, Sigmund
Reference number: 4510 Period: 20th century Material: Copper Collection: Freud, Sigmund
Reference number: 4555 Material: Ceramic Collection: Freud, Sigmund
Copyright Freud Museum London
These ashtrays from the Freud's collections are rarely noticed or mentioned, especially in comparison to many of Freud's rare antique collections at the museum. At the same time, there are very few relevant literature on the object, which would help interpret its detailed history and unknown stories. But if we summarize the characteristics of these collections, the historical background and regional culture of Freud’s lifetime might be still revealed in a way that is even engaging with the present.
1
MATERIAL MARBLE AND STONE COMMON AND POPULARITY Marbles and stones are one of the m o s t co m m o n m a te r i a l s u s e d fo r making ashtrays because they can resist combustion and are convenient for cleaning up and preservation. More importantly, as shown in the photos, all the first three ashtrays have a large, carved-out space where the cigar can burn steadily, and smokers can ease their burden of holding the cigars for long periods of time by resting them. As a result, they have more usabilities in Freud’s life. In fact, the popularity of the ashtray is closely related to cigar.
“Today, ashtrays are still used for the odd cigarette smoker, but they have also been making a small resurgence in popularity from the cigar aficionados of the world. Cigars, unlike cigarettes require a substantially longer time commitment to get through. On average, cigars take about 40 to 60 minutes to complete. Holding a cigar in your hand the entire time can quickly become taxing on your grip, not to mention, you will probably be engaged in some other activities at some point during that hour. To help solve this problem, cigar smokers implement a cigar ashtray to ease the burden of holding the cigar the entire time. Contrary to what some might think, cigar ashtrays are actually quite different than their cigarette ashtray peers. Ashtrays for cigars need to provide ample room for the cigar to sit and not be situated at an angle or smudged down into a tight space.”( Luzzie Normand 2018)
2
TIME 20TH CENTURY
FEMINISM AND WAR Despite the emergence of primitive ashtrays as early as the 19th century, ashtrays experienced a leap in the 20th century, both in the application of diverse materials and in the design of ashtrays. This is mainly due to the increase in the number of smokers, especially female smokers who want to embody feminist aesthetic values in ashtray design.
“The Early Years , While rudimentary forms of ashtrays existed long before the 19th century, it was during this time that the design, aesthetic and their popularity really took off. As more and more women began to smoke in the early 1900’s, the ashtray inched closer and closer to an art form of sorts. Many women shunned the use of the traditional ashtray as it failed to reflect their feminine values through an activity that was long heralded as being exclusive to men.” ( Luzzie Normand 2018)
On the other hand, war played an i m p o r t a nt ro l e fo r i n c re a s i n g t h e number of smokers. Smoking is a major pastime for soldiers because of its immediacy which is not limited by time and environment. Even after the war, the soldiers would continue the habit of smoking into their daily lives, rather than deliberately changing it. This indirectly led to an increase in the number of smokers. War is also closely related to Freud who was a witness to World War I. And he had to move to London to spend the last year of his life because of the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis during World War II. What does the war mean to Freud? Does it affect his attitude to smoking?
“It makes sense when you think about it: why should anyone worry about cancer or emphysema thirty years down the road, when bullets are whizzing overhead? Patriotic charities during the Great War of 1914–18 rose mightily to the occasion, shipping 425 million cigarettes to dough- boys on the front in
France every month in the peak years of the conflict.Thousands of soldiers etched their enthusiasm for smoke into ornately carved tobacco boxes and lighters, born from boredom in the trenches. The net effect: millions of soldiers returned home from the war addicted to this new form of smoking, spreading the habit in the peacetime world. The “war to end all wars” turned smoking from a marginal indulgence of questionable morality to an unobjectionable mark of stalwart manhood. More dryly put: war legitimized cigarettes.” (Proctor, Robert N. 2012) “Crimean War in 1853, smoking handrolled cigarettes became popular among the British and French soldiers who adopted the habit from the Turkish officers. About that time, hand-rolled cigarettes, using Turkish tobacco, were introduced in America.By the 1900's the tobacco industry had grown, and soon became one of the major growth areas of the twentieth century economy.”
CULTURE AUSTRIA
3
‘THE CITY OF DREAMS’ AND ‘ASHTRAY OF EUROPE’
“Vienna, the Capital of Austria, is said to be "The City of Dreams" because it was home to the world's first psychoanalyst – Sigmund Freud.(BBC). Freud lived in Vienna from the age of four (1860) until the year before his passed away(1938). And then he had to leave from his familiar land although he was extremely reluctant because of emotional fetters of a person, a city and a lifetime. Do living habits of individual and the city's culture inter-dye in the long period of time? Vienna was also invested with many people’s dreams. Before World War I, the young who influenced the world in the future flocked together in here, whether in art, science or politics. In 1913, Adolf Hitler, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Tito, Sigmund Freud and Joseph Stalin all lived within a few miles of each other in central Vienna, some of them being regulars at the same coffeehouses.(BBC News 2013)So the cafe became the best place to meet, communicate and debate. Smoking, coffee and conversation are so tightly integrated in Austria. The Austrian ashtrays are the symbol of smoking culture of this country. Even today, Austria still maintains a high smoking rate, particularly among the young, with 52% of men in that age group smoking, and 34% of women.(Kate Jackson 2018). Austria is one of Europe’s last havens for tobacco lovers and is nicknamed by antismoking campaigners the “ashtray of
Europe”. Smokers have to be seated in a separate area in bars and restaurants, but campaigners say this fails to contain the smoke and the rules are often flouted in any case.” (Agence France-Presse in Vienna 2018) “ There is a saying attributed to the composer Gustav Mahler: ‘If the world comes to an end, I shall go to Vienna; ever ything happens 50 years later there’, referring to the Austrian capital’s reputation for being particularly slow to catch on to trends. This rule of conservatism refers not only to the world of fashion, but also to their rules regarding lifestyle and social habits, such as smoking, which continue to lag way behind many other European countries.” (Kate Jackson 2018) “Austrian MPs have scrapped a smoking ban in bars and restaurants that was scheduled to come into force in May, despite a petition in its favour collecting 545,000 signatures.” (Agence FrancePresse in Vienna 2018)
The ashtrays as personal belongings of Sigmund Freud reflect his habit of smoking. The fact that he was a fanatic of cigar also serves the starting point for this curating project and its theme.
"
Freud started smoking when he was young and never stopped until the end of his life, and named smoking as “the one great habit.”(Freud and Bonaparte1887–1902.) Martin, one of Freud’s children, described the room as “so thick with smoke it seemed a wonder that human beings had been able to live in it for hours, let alone speak in it without choking.” (Evan J. Elkin 1994) “Freud described smoking as his 'protection ad weapon in the combat with life'. To the cigar he ascribed 'the greatest share of my self-control and tenacity to work'. He told his doctor Maximilian Steiner that 'he could do no creative work without smoking.’” (Ro Spankie, 2014).
SUBJECT ABSENT CIGARS
METHODOLOGY This project references medical theory as the basis and deconstruction as the research method and design concept. A number of human processes involve both physical and psychical elements.The connection between physiology and psychology has been a topic of long-term discussion. If the system of human body is divided into two parts, physiological and psychological, they are relatively independent and complementary. Medical theory as a special perspective presents the connection of alluring details of Freud’s private life and his psychoanalytic theory, at the same time provides a case of thinking mode to audience, how to jump out of the professional category and make interdisciplinary interactions. “Deconstruction is the act of breaking something down into its separate parts in order to understand its meaning, especially when this is different from how it was previously understood and the examination of a text in order to show there is no fixed meaning but that it can be understood in a different way by each reader.” (Cambridge English Dictionary) Deconstruction as the research method of the project was chosen to generate a dynamic meaning-making in the process of curating. More meaningfully, the processes and results presented to the public would inspire the audience to become active participants instead of passive recipients, resonating widely with the project.
{ V E R S E }
Cigars Are Absent. Cigars are absent in the collections of the Freud Museum, however it suggests one of the most important hobbies of Freud. Even if he had oral cancer for decades, he never gave up smoking cigars.
“In February 1923, Freud detected a leukoplakia, a benign growth associated with heavy smoking, on his mouth. Freud initially kept this secret, but in April 1923 he informed Ernest Jones, telling him that the growth had been removed. Freud consulted the dermatologist Maximilian Steiner, who advised him to quit smoking but lied about the growth's seriousness, minimizing its importance. Freud later saw Felix Deutsch, who saw that the growth was cancerous; he identified it to Freud using the euphemism "a bad leukoplakia" instead of the technical diagnosis epithelioma. Deutsch advised Freud to stop smoking and have the growth excised.� (Gay.P 2006)
Q:
Why were cigars so important for Freud? What are the effects of the cigars on Freud? RESEARCH CONTENT Deconstruct the components of the cigars and analyze which components pose a threat to human health, especially those that are harmful to the oral cavity. At the same time, we also analyze which ones help to relieve nervous emotions and release stress.
ANALYSIS Which compositions of the cigars influence health, and especially cause oral cancer? Oral cancer is largely a lifestyle disease, implying that the majority of the cases are associated to tobacco and alcohol use. Around 90% of individuals with mouth cancer are tobacco users. Smokers are 6 times more probable than non-smokers to develop mouth cancer. Those individuals who both smoke and drink, have a 15 times greater risk of developing mouth cancer than others. This is because both tobacco and alcohol are carcinogenic, which means they contain chemicals that can damage the DNA in cells which, therefore, can lead to cancer. Hence, the risk of mouth cancer increases significantly in those individuals who both smoke and drink.
Cigars/Cigarettes are simply a cylinder of tobacco rolled in tobacco leaves for smoking. Tobacco smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burned tobacco. Some of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke include: Acetone – found in nail polish remover Acetic Acid – an ingredient in hair dye Ammonia – a common household cleaner Arsenic – used in rat poison Benzene – found in rubber cement Butane – used in lighter fluid Cadmium – active component in battery acid Carbon Monoxide – released in car exhaust fumes Formaldehyde – embalming fluid Hexamine – found in barbecue lighter fluid Lead – used in batteries Naphthalene – an ingredient in moth balls Methanol – a main component in rocket fuel Nicotine – used as insecticide Toluene – used to manufacture paint Tobacco smoke also contains tar and the poison gases: nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide. Nicotine, a highly addictive drug and one of the harshest chemicals in tobacco smoke, is the crucial ingredient that produces the effect people are looking for while smoking tobacco. Smoking tobacco can cause cancer and then block your body from fighting it: Toxic substance in tobacco smoke can weaken an individual’s immune system (the processes of the human body and organs which provide resistance to infection and toxins), resulting in it be tougher to kill cancer cells, which leads to cancer cells constantly growing without being stopped. Toxins in tobacco smoke can also damage or change a cell’s DNA. DNA is the cell’s “instruction manual” that controls a cell’s normal growth and function. When DNA is damaged, a cell can begin growing out of control and create a cancer tumour.
ANALYSIS Which compositions of the cigars benefit for relieving pressure and emotions? Many tobacco smoke consumers assume or believe smoking tobacco relieves stress, pressure and/or emotions. However, smoking tobacco does not really relieve any of those things and, in fact, it may even cause more tension and anxiety. Cigars/Cigarettes contain a key ingredient, a highly addictive drug, known as Nicotine. Nicotine is a psychoactive and/or mood altering drug. When a person smokes a cigar, the nicotine inside is reaches the brain in approximately 8 seconds and causes the release of a chemical known as Dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical in our brain which is released and causes us to feel pleasure, relaxation, and happiness – a sensation the human body craves again and again. But, when an individual smokes tobacco, during these feelings of perceived relaxation, the body is in actual fact experiencing increased stress! This is because the smoker’s blood pressure and heart rate increases, their muscles become tense, and less oxygen is available in their body for their body and brain. The feelings of “relief” described by tobacco smokers may just be relief from short-term symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine.
RESEARCH RESULT Tobacco in Cigars is the most critical oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer. Medical analysis indicates that cigars have no direct effect on relieving people's emotions and stress. However, cigars contain nicotine, which promotes the body's dopamine secretion and makes people feel happy.
VIEWPOINT We can not confirm whether Freud knows that nicotine can promote the body's production of dopamine, which makes people feel happy. However, it is certain that smoking is not the only way to produce dopamine, and Freud insisted on smoking until two months before he passed away, which is a fact and his own choice. Can we assume that Freud, the great psychoanalyst, also needed external forces (cigars) to help comfort his emotions and stress? In many of the documents on the history of Freud, we can see his deep love for cigars. “Freud began smoking tobacco at age 24; initially a cigarette smoker, he became a cigar smoker. Freud believed that smoking enhanced his capacity to work and that he could exercise self-control in moderating it. Despite health warnings from colleague Wilhelm Fliess, he remained a smoker, eventually suffering from a buccal cancer.� (Gay.P 2006)
{ C H O R U S }
Freud Is Absent. The main method of Freud's psychoanalytic treatment is talking cure, but the form of conversation is not a face-toface communication. Freud always hides himself during the process of talking cure, and the patients can only hear his voice. When the patient enters the room, the space is already full of smoke. As a result, these patients can identify the smell of the smoke with Freud and his presence within the room.
Q:
Which role do cigars play in Freud’s psychoanalytic treatment since cigars are so important to his daily life? “The memories of those that knew him are often recalled through the haze and aroma of cigar smoke. Raymond De Saussure, a psychoanalyst who was himself analyzed by Freud in the 1920s, reminisced that the smell of Freud's cigar wafting through the consulting room provided a special sensory connection to the therapist as the patient lay on the couch during a session. Freud sat behind his patients, completely hidden from view, an arrangement that is typical of the psychoanalytic situation even today because it is thought to cultivate a regressed feeling and facilitate free association.” (In Freud As We Knew Him, edited by Hendrik Ruitenbeek)
“De Saussure recalls: One was won over by the atmosphere of his office, a rather dark room, which opened onto a courtyard. Light came not from the windows but from the brilliance of that lucid, discerning mind. Contact was established only by means of his voice and the odor of the cigars he ceaselessly smoked.” (Evan J. Elkin 1994)
VIEWPOINT Freud treated his patients by talking cure. The word “cure” and “curator” both come from the latin word “cura”, meaning “look after”. If we expand the field and meaning of the curator, could Freud also be considered as a curator of human psychology? Moreover, if he chose smoking cigars to console his emotions and put his mind at peace, could we consider this habit as a way of curating (or looking after) himself? If so, what would this mean to us, now?
Maybe we can’t curate collections of art, history or human. However, at least we can attempt to curate (or look after) ourselves. Everyone can search for their own “absent cigars”. This is the contemporary meaning and social value of curating the project about Freud.
{ O U T R O }
In the beginning of the project, the phrase of “flying ashes and smoldering smoke� was mentioned because cigars are not only the clue for this curating concept but also the symbol of Freud’s life. In other words, it serves as a metaphor for his life which burnt away slowly like a cigar gradually turning into ashes. He still received his patients and insisted on writing until two months before his death.
"
As Chaney, Edward (2006) wrote, “In the Freuds' new home, 20 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead, North London, Freud's Vienna consulting room was recreated in faithful detail. He continued to see patients there until the terminal stages of his illness. He also worked on his last books, Moses and Monotheism, published in German in 1938 and in English the following year and the uncompleted An Outline of Psychoanalysis which was published posthumously.” At that time, he gave all his life-loving cigars to his cousin Alexander as his 72-year-old birthday present. “In the letter to his cousin, Freud wrote: "Your 72nd birthday finds us on the verge of separating after long years of living together. I hope it is not going to be a separation forever, but the future--always uncertain--is at the moment especially difficult to foresee. I would like you to take over the good cigars which have been accumulating with me over the years, as you can still indulge in such pleasure, I no longer.”(Evan J. Elkin 1994)
TA L K I N G C U R E
C U R AT O R
F R E U D A S A R E A L C U R AT O R O F HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY
E V E RY O N E I S T H E C U R AT O R OF THEIR OWN LIFE
T O D AY W E A L L L I V E I N S I D E THE FREUD MUSEUM
CIGARS ARE ABSENT
FREUD IS ABSENT
H E I S A B S E N T, Y E T N E V E R L E A V E S . . .
BIBIOGRAPHY Agence France-Presse in Vienna“‘Ashtray of Europe’: Austrian MPs vote to scrap smoking ban”, 2018. BBC Documentary – Vienna – The City of Dreams, 2010. BBC News “1913: When Hitler, Trotsky, Tito, Freud and Stalin all lived in the same place”, 18 April 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013. Evan J. Elkin. “More Than a Cigar”, 1994. Freud, Sigmund and Bonaparte, Marie (ed.). The Origins of Psychoanalysis. Letters to Wilhelm Fliess: Drafts and Notes 1887–1902. Kessinger Publishing, 2009. pp. 238–239. Gay, Peter. “Freud: A Life for Our Time.” W. W. Norton & Company, 2006 (first published 1988). pp. 77, 169. Halberstadt, Max (c. 1921). “Sigmund Freud, half-length portrait, facing left, holding cigar in right hand”. Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017. Jackson, Kate. “Why Vienna is a Smoker's Paradise” 2018. Normand, Luzzie. “Cigars and the History of the Ashtray”, Neptune Cigars, Inc. (US), 2018. Proctor, Robert N. “Golden Holocaust: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition”, 2012. Ro Spankie. “Sigmund Freud’s Desk”, 2014. Wanvig, Nancy. “History of Ashtrays and Smoking”, 2014. Cover Image: Designed by Freepik
Curated by Star Designed by Teresa Theory supported by Shaj