Hi - As you say, though, matter to whom? And why risk-taking? This itself is a particular social/aesthetic position (I keep thinking of Bourdieu's Distinction for example), that leaves out Grandma Moses and a whole lot of popular art as well; it also might create a (for me problematic) distinc- tion between art and sport, since the latter most often operates within given sets of rules.
I can also see doing art that doesn't matter to anyone, but that might provide pleasure somewhere along the line, if that matters. For me, all these terms, including 'virtual' and 'real' are rife with problems based on categoricity and ideology - for example following someone like Lingis, I think we're inscribed, that inscription and culture goes all the way up and down, we're permeated, we construct (local) meaning the best we can, we find our way the best we can (sloughing into Wittgenstein or some such). Another reason 'art that matters' bothers me is that - at least with some of the poorer teachers I've run into - a crude equation - that meaningless art doesn't matter; at that point, studio has too often announced x or y is meaningless and therefore is condemnable. This is crazy and way away from what you're talking about, of course. What might help to explain my wariness of category is that years ago at RISD, I had a student driven to suicide in part because her teachers refused to accept what she was doing as art, much less good art (oddly, it was a form of painting one would relate today to Support-Surface) - she was annihilated. I'd say down with categories, or let them emerge from practice, let the students decide and decide for themselves, not others. Let there be whole families of usages; one problem with 'authenticity' or 'authentic' is that even legal issues are on the horizon, as well as connoisseurship. Please please don't misunderstand - I know none of this is what anyone is saying - I'm just expressing my wariness at 'decision.' By the way, careerism doesn't bother me; if that's what drives someone, all the power to hir. Zizek I just don't get! I try and try! Badiou Boy! - Alan On Wed, 13 Oct 2010, Curt Cloninger wrote: > Hi Marc (and all), > > I would say something like "art that matters" (rather than > "authentic" or "real"). "Art that matters" is a really obvious and > banal way of putting things that tries not to presume or cloak any > specifc ethical angle or cosmological presumptions. Then you get to > have a subsequent discussion about what does matter, to whom, what > criteria do you use to determine what matters, at what scales, in > what time frames, or whatever other "contemporary critical" > qualifiers you want to add. > > When you say "authentic," I read something like "earnest." Which > doesn't necessarily mean un-funny, but it does exclude a kind of > opportunistic/easy cynicism or careerism. Maybe it even means sappy > and epic. I'm OK with that (but then I fantasize about singing > karaoke to AC/DC's "For Those About to Rock [We Salute You]," so I am > unable to cast the first stone). As Spinal Tap observe, "there's a > fine line between stupid and clever." > > When I teach, I don't teach my own personal ethics (per se). But I do > encourage my students to figure out what might matter to them. I > admit to pushing a kind of experimental practice of emergence -- > following Massumi following Deleuze following Bergson -- a kind of > making the virtual actual. According to Bergson, there are two kinds > of real -- the actual (which has already become history) and the > virtual (not "VR," but rather a kind of real that at any moment could > happen, but just hasn't yet, and may never). Bergson's virtual is > still contingent on historical conditions (not simply anything could > emerge at any time whatsoever). > > If you begin with "actual" ethical criteria for what should happen, > then you may well wind up with simply a reshuffling of actual things > that have already happened. But if you risk experimenting in rigorous > ways that don't evaluate "success" too soon according to previously > available criteria, then maybe you are able to trick the virtual into > actualization. It's a risky kind of art practice. As Ren says to > Stimpy, "That's just it. We don't know. Maybe something good will > happen, and maybe something bad will happen." > > A marxist like Zizek would ridicule this kind of proto-ethics of > emergence as fanciful, unpragmatic, spectaular, etc. But that's what > makes it a risk. And artists aren't like bridge engineers or > anything. Most of us are doing something that we hope matters or will > eventually matter, but we can't guarantee at all that it will. To me, > such risk taking is one of the things art is particularly good for. > > Also, making art can be exciting, which is probably an indicator that > you're onto something that might matter. > > Best, > Curt > > > >> Hi Alan & all, >> >> These questions are pretty decent starters, warranting some serious and >> playful investigation. >> >> I'm wondering what others may think themselves? >> >> Not necessarily in terms of my own, perhaps misplaced idea of what is >> 'authenticity'. But, in whatever words or notions, we consider or feel >> fits closest. >> >> For instance, many individuals engage with Netbehaviour not just because >> it is a tool, some motives are contextual; harbouring many different >> reasons of why we are here together - now, one obvious activity is that >> many on here share a dialogue. >> >> But, if we could see beyond the daily functions and motives, what would >> be left for us to understand between ourselves here and now, and how >> could we (possibly) mutually expand on 'whatever these things are'? >> >> So what's the spirit or kernel linking us, other than the network and >> the daily behaviours that we all share? >> >> Wishing all well. >> >> marc >> > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > == email archive: http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/ webpage http://www.alansondheim.org music archive: http://www.espdisk.com/alansondheim/ == _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
