Ladies and gentlemen, the "official" photos of my DUMBO Festival installation. Photos without me are by me, and photos with me are by BJ Watkins.

Labels: art

Great piece in Seed Magazine that holds that, "Nearly universal literacy is a defining characteristic of today’s modern civilization; nearly universal authorship will shape tomorrow's." In other words:

International concern for the minority who can’t read may soon extend to those who can’t publish. Reading—a defining characteristic of civilization as far back as ancient Greece when all Athenian citizens were expected to know how to read—is now taken for granted in industrialized democracies. Publishing by the few Athenian authors brought us drama, philosophy, science, mathematics, literature, and history. As readers, we consume. As authors, we create. Our society is changing from consumers to creators.

http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/a_writing_revolution/

I've been exploring this issue a good deal when it comes to art, mostly through the @Platea collective. Right now, we're doing a "cover" of Vito Acconci's Following Piece, using social media and new technology. Can anyone do art? If anyone can publish, and if everyone will publish (according to this article), it seems reasonable that there's a paradigm shift occurring in how we engage with media in general. But what would a world of art-by-anyone look like?

"Our society is changing from consumers to creators." This is already a familiar issue in the contemporary haiku world, where everyone jokes that there are more writers than readers. Quality is maintained, journals flourish, dialogue ensues.

More thoughts on this later.

Labels: art, culture, technology

I remember it was a few years ago in Classical Chinese class. There was a moment that's stuck with me all this years. Our class had just finished a translation of Lie Zi and started talking about it. One of my classmates raised his hand and brought up a point:

I’ve noticed there’s a big difference between Eastern and Western artists. In the West, we want to create something that moves the masses, that inspires everyone. People like Lie Zi, on the other hand, are more concerned about connecting with those few people who understand, and they don’t really care about the rest.

And my professor replied:

Yes, a Lie Zi-like artist would sell 5 CD’s and be happy, because even if he’ll never reach platinum status, he connected with those five people, with their xin (heart/mind/soul/etc.), and that’s all that matters.

From the original Chinese:

Bo Ya then relinquished his lute and sighed:
”Excellent! Excellent!
You can listen to the mountains and rain!
You can listen to me!
Your aim, your thoughts,
your images are just like my xin.

Seems to me like the goal of any artist is to connect with others, whether it be 5 or 5 million. It's in the common experience that we find something meaningful in the work.

Labels: art

And speaking of art in the 21st century, I highly highly recommend season 5 of Art:21. The premiere last night at MoMA (alongside 600 other premiere events around the world thanks to their excellent Access '09 setup) was fabulous, with Season 5 artists Jeff Koons, Mary Heilmann and Florian Maier-Aichen in conversation with Glenn D. Lowry.

My favorite to hear speak was Mary Heilmann, a total hoot. Frankly, I could listen to her all day.



Check it out now on the PBS video portal, or check your local listings.

Labels: art

I've been having lots of late night conversations about the role of artists in the 21st century. What is the role of the artist? What is our function? Why do we do what we do, and what do fellow artists and non-artists look for in our work? It wasn't that long ago when art had a clear meaning and function. East or west, art typically fell under some manifestation of painting or sculpture, and it had some kind of spiritual element.

But these days, the variation in what falls under the purview of the word "art" can be overwhelming. On the one hand, you'll find classical painters, working with brush and canvas, just as artists have done since humans figured out how to get colors to stick to a wall. On the other hand, you'll find artists nailing themselves to cars and organizing hair cuts by children in Chinatown.

Contemporary art is a classic example for Wittgenstein's notion of family resemblance. The meaning of a word, especially an abstract concept like art, is difficult to pin down. You can't point at one thing and say that it sums up the word "art". But you can point at many things. And though the extremes have little in common (how does a Taos landscape painting have anything in common with being nailed to a Volkswagen?), they are like distant cousins. They resemble each other like members of a family, and you can draw a spectrum from one end to the other that makes the term more clear.


So I thought I'd open the floor for others' thoughts. Defining "art" is tough, but maybe it's a little easier to figure out what the role of artists is. I posted the question on Facebook and Twitter: "What is the role of artists in the 21st century (or any century, really)?" I got a number of responses, summed up in this Wordle. Few words jump out, but I could sense a theme: artists challenge our way of thinking.


Here's what a verbatim list of what folks said:

To push past the edges.

*“The job of the writer is to make revolution irresistible.”—Toni Cade Bambara

*“As a black lesbian writer, my advice to myself, academicians, and other lesbian writers is: say the least said and tell the least told.”—Cheryl Clarke

*"Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it."--Bertolt Brecht

To make me see things differently.

to never compare ourselves with others, a willingness to take chances, never relying on the past to shape your reputation. I am not out to change the world, although what I do do id different. I do what I do because it's me.

to make work that gives its audience connection to (a) truth (large or small "t")

to observe, communicate, stimulate the mind, evoke/provoke feeling

to deepen spiritual development

I would say: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/health/06mind.html?_r=1&em

Art 21st century will contend with building archives of art versus running faster computers with greater app complexity.

I don't know. I'm PMSing so very very deconstructive this week. I mostly see artist and wannabes like me as parasites. :/

To explore and experiment with relationships and behaviors "not ready for prime time". Cultural R&D?

Klee, as a trunk of a tree, they gather & pass on what comes 2 them from the depths.. artists-as-capillary-action?

Role of the artist in the 21st century? -think differently than non artists. Aren't we the balancing force (unbalancing force?)

Too many roles to count but one purpose of artists is to pick the scabs off society by examining taboos.

giving a different point of view of what we normally consider reality

artists keep a record of living history and impact and influence social change around the world.

Entertainment and Education. Galleries are Museums and museums are classrooms, but exciting classrooms.

I've always thought of art as a blend of intellect and aesthetic. A mixture of cognitive thought, sensory stimulation, and intuitive, nonconscious understanding. Philosophers, after all, challenge our way of thinking too, but they don't use much in the way of the senses to do so. Interior designers and chefs create sensually-pleasing objects, but the end results are meant to be enjoyed in and of themselves--a feast for the senses. But it strikes me as the goal of any artistic practice to challenge thinking and create something that is experienced with the senses, whether it be a painting or a performance. And in that blend

So what's the role of artists in the 21st century? It's no different from artists in the 11th century, or the 1st century. But in a century where society and media have become more diverse, from 300 channels on cable to a nearly infinite amount of content to be customized and curated on the Internet, so have our expressions of art. If art is a response to society, then it's no wonder that art is so varied and fragmented: we live in a world of niches and tribes.

But that's my take. I'd love to hear yours.

Labels: 21st, art, culture, philosophy

Spotted in an East Village record store - empty CD cases. Rows and rows of empty CD cases. Obviously, the point is to prevent theft, but if the CD cases are empty, why do you need a store to display them? In a city of precious real estate, wouldn't it make sense to just set up a few display monitors that folks can click through?

Gets me thinking about the role of the physical, the need to have something tangible. I know a lot of people who still, in this age of iTunes or last.fm, prefer to own the CD/DVD.

Labels: business, culture, technology