‘Luck​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Double​ ​Focus’​ (2017) ​is ​a Mobius-strip-cartoon. This artist book twists​ ​a​n anthropological text by Roy Wagner into a ​seminal​ ​artwork​ ​by​ ​Joseph​ ​Beuys​, forming​ ​a Mobius loop. 

In​ ​​I​ ​Like​ ​America​ ​and​ ​America​ ​Likes​ ​Me​​ ​(1974)​ ​Beuys​ ​​spent ​three​ ​days​ ​and​ ​nights with a wild coyote.​ ​Coyotes​ hold​ a ​mythic​ ​status​ ​in​ ​the​ ​USA,​ ​featuring​ ​in indigenous​ ​folklore,​ ​lending​ ​their​ ​name​ ​to​ ​illegal​ ​cross-border​ ​traffickers,​ ​and​ ​appearing​ ​in​ ​news​ ​reports for​ ​their​ ​opportunistic​ ​encroachment​ ​into​ ​human​ ​cities.​ ​A coyote ​identity​ ​is​ ​also​ ​borrowed by anthropologist​ ​Roy​ ​Wagner​ ​in​ his book ​‘Coyote​ ​Anthropology’​ ​(2010).​ ​

Luck​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Double​ ​Focus​ ​​​overlays​ ​these​ ​two works. In​ ​doing​ ​so​ ​a​ ​third​ ​actor​ ​emerges:​ ​the​ ​crooked​ ​walking​ ​stick,​ ​brandished​ ​by​ ​Beuys​ ​and​ ​bitten​ ​by​ ​Coyote. In my own Mobius strip cartoon, ​Beuys​ ​and​ ​Coyote​ ​discuss​ ​their​ ​​species’​ ​identities​ ​and​ ​their relationship​ ​to​ ​culture​ ​and​ ​language,​ ​whilst​ ​Beuys​ ​falls​ ​increasingly​ ​in​ ​love​ ​with​ ​this​ ​stick​. A ​bipedal​ ​tool,​ ​a​ ​human​ ​identity​ ​prop.​ ​

Produced as part of the "AoOA" exhibition Third House at Titanik Gallery, Turku, Finland. Email hermione.spriggs@gmail.com for details of the edition.