Responsibility and Silence in Contemporary Art: A Reflection on the Dolls of Armand Fernandez, Relying on the Philosophy of Levinas(Case Study of Four Works by Armand Fernandez)

Abstract

This article analyzes the works of Armand Fernandez, focusing on his puppet collection, from the perspective of Emmanuel Levinas’s moral philosophy. Looking at the concept of “guarding the other” in Levinas’s thought, an attempt is made to explore the relationship between the puppet faces and the moral presence of the “other” in Fernandez’s works. In Levinas’ interpretation of desires, the other face is referred to as a call to responsibility, which is crystallized in the viewer’s encounter with the silence, stillness, and questioning gaze of Fernandez’s puppets. Using the method of phenomenological analysis and concepts of moral philosophy, this article shows how Fernandez’s puppets transcend the realm of mere objects and are elevated to the status of faces of the other, faces that can neither be possessed nor ignored. Meanwhile, the silence and fragility in the form and texture of the dolls call the audience to a responsibility that is rooted in Levinas's view of the relationship between me and the other.