Asynchronous Seminar. September 2012
I have just read that cynical and rather disingenuous article, and although it expects that its readers will be of the same opinion - that's it's all a self indulgent waste of money, it does have a grain of truth.
Anything described
so cynically will sound weak and ridiculous, even the most powerful work, and
it's interesting to have this debate now, just as the olympics and paralymics
close, and we in this country have had a holiday from cynicism and a crash
course in joining in.
If the article
writer witnessed one of these events so devastatingly reduced to bare
facts, they probably would have found themself interested, drawn in, if not
quite affected by the participation of self and others.
That's not to say
that all art is good, worthy, and must be funded. I think alot of weak ideas
get through, because in the end, many of these projects are agreed
by committee and diluted of content. I myself am in at least two
minds about such participatory events, doled out to the public. It's fine, and
sometimes great, but I do hope it will not become expected that all artists
work like that. Some artists do work best and produce great, worthy art holed
up alone in a studio.
11th September 2012
11th September 2012
..........
I am also happy that there was at least a
Cultural Olympiad, although it obviously brings up all sorts of questions and
issues:
Art projects which are successfully funded
for such events tend to be very collective, inclusive ventures - naturally not
all artists work like that, and so it's difficult for everyone to be able to
contribute or benefit from what's available.
It raises the public perception and expectation that art is a collective project. This public includes the commissioning councils, who, because of the profile of such events, increasingly fund public and performing art for events.
Personally, I quite like art in galleries.
I like having to go there, and all the layers of context you walk through in
order to be in an art space. Naturally I don't in any way think art should be
exclusively to galleries, but neither do I want to always have to join in to a
crowd in order to experience art. Current Tate Turbine Hall piece by Tino
Sehgal brilliantly examines crowd mentality, and the pleasures and pains of
joining in or standing apart:
The Olympics and Paralympics have been
uplifting and inclusive events which seeped into the nation's consciousness,
even for people not normally interested in sport - it showed the human effort
and character involved. No matter what, the Cultural Olympiad came nowhere near
that for artists. What if there was really a cultural event where art really
had its day, and the underside of what it takes to be an artist was exposed for
everyone to get enthused about. I don't know what that event could be, or if
that could ever happen.
24th September 2012
Reflection
I have to admit I find the format of the
Asynchronous Seminars on Google really difficult to engage with. It's a series
of emails, some are long and dense and difficult to decipher and respond to.
Points are not clearly indicated.
It's not them, it's me.
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