Out of Control
Chapter 6 of the Exhibition Catalogue GOLEM: Introduction
Emily D. Bilski
The interpretation of the golem figure has continually changed in reaction to historical events. Golem stories emerged about, usually, a scholar who created a golem for a particular purpose: as a servant, a companion, or someone to rescue an endangered Jewish community. The golem legend became a powerful survival mythos for a Jewish minority that was subject to the whims of the rulers at any one time. In the twentieth century the golem appeared in many stories as a rescuer, based on the specific situation of the Jews and the dangers they were facing.
Although Jews historically have often been in need of protection, the stance toward the destructive force of the golem has remained ambivalent. This is reflected in the many stories in which the golem becomes a threat for its creator and ultimately runs amok. Once the power is unleashed, it can no longer be contained. This double-edged sword—golem as both protector and destroyer—became a fitting metaphor for many challenges with which modern society was and still is confronted.
Emily D. Bilski is an art historian, the main focus of her work is the interface between art, cultural history, and the modern Jewish experience as well as contemporary art. She works as a curator and counselor for museums in the United States, Europe, and Israel. Her books Berlin Metropolis: Jews and the New Culture: 1890-1918 (1999) and Jewish Women and Their Salons: The Power of Conversation (2005) were both awarded the National Jewish Book Award.
Citation recommendation:
Emily D. Bilski (2016), Out of Control. Chapter 6 of the Exhibition Catalogue GOLEM: Introduction.
URL: www.jmberlin.de/en/node/4706
Online Edition of the GOLEM Catalog: Table of Contents
- The Golem in Berlin: Introduction by Peter Schäfer
- Chapter 1
- The Golem Lives On: Introduction by Martina Lüdicke
- My Light is Your Life: Text by Anna Dorothea Ludewig
- Avatars: Text by Louisa Hall
- The Secret of the Cyborgs: Text by Caspar Battegay
- Chapter 2
- Jewish Mysticism: Introduction by Emily D. Bilski
- Golem Magic: Text by Martina Lüdicke
- Golem, Language, Dada: Text by Emily D. Bilski
- Chapter 3
- Transformation: Introduction by Emily D. Bilski
- Jana Sterbak’s Golem: Objects as Sensations: Text by Rita Kersting
- Crisálidas (Chrysalises): Text by Jorge Gil
- Rituals: Text by Christopher Lyon
- A Golem that Ended Well: Text by Emily D. Bilski
- On the Golem: Text by David Musgrave
- Louise Fishman’s Paint Golem: Text by Emily D. Bilski
- Chapter 4
- Legendary Prague: Introduction by Martina Lüdicke
- Golem Variations: Text by Peter Schäfer
- Rabbi Loew’s Well-Deserved Bath: Text by Harold Gabriel Weisz Carrington
- Chapter 5
- Horror and Magic: Introduction by Martina Lüdicke
- Golem and a Little Girl: Text by Helene Wecker
- The Golem with a Group of Children Dancing: Text by Karin Harrasser
- Bringing the Film Set To Life: Text by Anna-Carolin Augustin
- Golem and Mirjam: Text by Cathy S. Gelbin
- Chapter 6
- Current page: Out of Control: Introduction by Emily D. Bilski
- Golem—Man Awakened with Glowing Hammer: Text by Arno Pařík
- Dangerous Symbols: Text by Charlotta Kotik
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Text by Marc Estrin
- Chapter 7
- Doppelgänger: Introduction by Martina Lüdicke
- From the Golem-Talmud: Text by Joshua Cohen
- Kitaj’s Art Golem: Text by Tracy Bartley
- The Golem as Techno-Imagination?: Text by Cosima Wagner
- See also
- GOLEM: 2016, online edition with selected texts of the exhibition catalog
- GOLEM: 2016, complete printed edition of the exhibition catalog, in German
- Golem. From Mysticism to Minecraft: Online Feature, 2016
- GOLEM: Exhibition, 23 Sep 2016 to 29 Jan 2017