Behind Bars, Eringer and I snooped around. We found a room with old bath tubs with wooden boards to lock a patient in place so only his head was sticking out at the time of the 'bath'. This was a kind of therapy, I guess, designed to shock the system of the patient, when either scalding hot or freezing cold water was poured into the bath, and the patient couldn't escape. It seemed like medievil torture to me, but what do I know...
We made out way up stairs to the room now famous as that which housed Vincent Van Gogh, during his mental health tenure at St. Paul des Maison. They have preserved his room; kept it tidy. There was a sign and waist high gate designed to keep the riff raff out, but I had to get in. I needed to see what he saw out his window; try to pick up on his vibe if I could.
I looked down at the "keep out" sign, then looked over the gate and noticed it didn't say anything on the back, so, I scaled the fence...
Photo: Eringer behind bars. St. Paul des Maison
Winter 2003
I love this post as well as the last..something about institutions..hummmm..institutions and art......
ReplyDelete...then what?? Bated breath...
ReplyDelete