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October 19, 2005
Categories on the subject of Hollar
Interesting lecture today - Danny Rozin.
He had quite a few things to say, regarding everything. Really. I especially enjoyed his comments on art. He approaches a project in such a direct way - puting away the content and focusing on the subject. I hate art, but not art. Confused? Me too. But my point is, Art is usually like shitty poetry - just as song lyrics are all just shitty poetry. Stop trying to shove clever, ironic, intelligent content in peoples faces and get to the meat of it all - info vs. noise, ignorance vs. expert, whatever. Don't provide a piece of tripe for people to overanalyze and ponder, just give them something interesting. Science.
Rozin focusses on identity, and interactivity - as interperative works - relying on a viewer/user. His choice in media - Mirrors are perfectly suited to this mentality. No two people standing in front of a mirror will ever see the same thing. Literally and figuratively.
I'm not sure about my reaction to Rozin's thoughts on ignorance. I just can't buy into the "ignorance is bliss/fertile ground" cliche. Maybe I'm just being contrary, but it seems that there has to be more. If I have to lack knowledge about something, that must say something terrible about my persuasion? Stamina? Sense of reality? But that might just be preference - and who the hell am I?
The term "interaction" is wontonly thrown around more than "ironic" - grossly misused. Interaction requires at least two parties, in a multilayered exchange of initiation, counter, response, etc. There is an elegant dynamic at work not easily brought to fruition.
One of the girls in class made a comment against mass production that Rozin elegantly shot down. It was incredible - super articulate. Point in fact - mass production does not by any means diminish the character of a work. The contrary is actually true, as limitation - more often than not - leads to commodification - which is drives up prices for absolutely no tangible reason, other than availability - something so obtuse and ridiculous in this world of excess. Thoughts of arbitrarily-redrawn boundaries come to mind. All a body needs is shelter, sustenance, sex... not a numbered, limited run, signed print. And this is even more important in the new paradigm of the digital world. This abstract world is not the vulgar, literal world of paper substance. 1s and 0s that you cant touch. Wheres ownership? Piracy? - Cynisism.
Derivative work. Sample-based culture. This is the future, like it or not.
I've also been thinking about the relationships between commodification, self, and language - expense, substantiation... More on this later.
Posted by alex at October 19, 2005 12:16 AM
Comments
CONTRARY MARY. more thoughts please.
Posted by: K at October 19, 2005 03:44 PM