Susan MacWilliam

b. 1969, Ireland

The New York mystic Kuda Bux was made famous during the 1930s and ‘40s by his dramatic demonstrations of eyeless sight. Kuda Bux specialised in performing such feats as reading a newspaper or writing on a blackboard while blindfolded. He took his act to music halls and variety shows and made appearances at Radio City, New York. One of his most noted feats was his 1945 cycle ride through New York and into Times Square; this he performed while blindfolded. The focus of the research for the installation is Bux’s eyeless sight demonstrations. This relates to other areas of MacWilliam’s work, which explore ideas about vision and perception, after-image and clairvoyance.

The installation Kuda Bux takes the form of an open set, referencing the theatrical nature of Bux’s performances, and comprises a number of components including illuminated text, video and gathered and constructed props. The video illustrates Bux’s acts and explores the phenomenon of eyeless sight. Played through a 1950s television set, the video can be viewed from a 1930s armchair, allowing the audience the opportunity to experience the work from within the installation. Illuminated text in the style of fairground/vaudeville signage spells out the name of Kuda Bux. Working from archival photographs, props such as the blackboard used during Bux’s performances feature in the video and installation. Dubbed as the ‘Man with X-Ray Eyes’, Bux made appearances on both the Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson shows, and hosted his own television show, Kuda Bux: Hindu in 1950. Eventually losing his sight to glaucoma, Kuda Bux died in 1981 at the age of 75.

(Text: give(a)way catalogue, 2006)