CREMATION OF CARE 2007
10 minute video-installed in sculpture
“Bohemian Grove is a 11 sqkm campground located at 20601 Bohemian Ave, Monte Rio, California 954262, belonging to a private San-Francisco based men’s fine arts club known as the Bohemian Club. Every year since 1899 bohemian Grove is the location of a two-week encampment, beginning in the middle of July, of some of the most powerful men of the world.
The Cremation of Care is the opening ceremony performed at the Bohemian Grove by members of the Bohemian Club at the start of the July summer encampment. Due to the private nature of the ceremony and the high profile of members of the club, the ceremony and its participants are subject to various conspiracy theories.
The ceremony takes place next to a 45-foot (13meter) concrete Owl statue. During the ceremony, audio plays through nearby speakers providing the illusion of a speaking statue.
The ceremony involves the poling of a small boat across a lake containing an effigy of Care. Although “dead”, Care has a speaking part and a deep voice. As suggested by the title, Care is eventually burned under the Owl statue towards the end of the ceremony. This cremation symbolizes that within the Bohemian Grove members leave the care of the outside world. The ceremony is meant to represent the destruction or burning of worldly concern.”
Bugge uses this event as her startingpoint for her video with the same title as the ceremony.
The images shows the installation in the group-show “Future Primitive” at UKS, Oslo, 2007
Here she built a 4,5 meter owl in polyurethane and wood.
The video is mounted in the owls back inside the shed.
