perhaps the work is interesting because it re-tasks spaces generally devoted to an advertising monoculture. as in, i'd rather see a jenny holzer set-up than any number of *other* brand-name monoliths.
On 7/19/05, David-Baptiste Chirot <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Oh, Alan, I understand for most people the work is liberating and exciting. > That's fine with me, really. I am just saying for myself it is very > oppressive. It is the same drums being played a slightly different way. Then > it becomes a brand name. Power, theory etc: I mean the language in it > and the ways in which it presents itself to be recognized is a power > situation. I see those works and I feel like I am supposed to salute. > Truly! And I refuse to salute. To me it is telling me how to be liberated > etc. The feeling in it to me is one of an eltistism. "I know better--and > you know better, too, because you see this in me." The "alternative > spaces"--Franklin Furnace etc--are part of the world they are "alternative" > too. It does for me have to do with "goodness". It is all very ethically > edifying for all concerned. "It's not only good, it's good for you". It is > a very American mission in many ways. Or, of a certain ethical sort--I > can see why it does represent the USA in Venice. It shows what a free and > good society we are I suppose. > > Again, I do know many find it the ways you do, exciting and > liberating. I just know for myself, it is very oppressive. I feel like I am > being told how to be good in my thinking and what is good for me and al the > rest. In a funny way I feel like it is trying to tell me it knows how > oppressive all this set up is--and will liberate me--so that I will see in > it (the works) the truth. (And the light and the way for all I know.) I > will be very excited and grateful about this. But I am not. I do not > fully know why, it is just a feeling from deep inside. I don't have any > quarrel at all with people who feel the other way. I just know for myself > the works are really oppressive and confining. I see them and walk the other > way. I don't want to march in (their) line, that's all. > > > > > >From: Alan Sondheim <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: "WRYTING-L : Writing and Theory across Disciplines" > <WRYTING-L@LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA> > >To: WRYTING-L@LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA > >Subject: Re: Rebus 01--became what it beheld > >Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 02:47:30 -0400 > > > > >Wow this is incredible. First of all Holzer showed for a long time > >only in > >alternative spaces like Franklin Furnace which had nothing to do > >with art > >world theory or power at all. She distributed work for free at that > >point. > > > >My take on her work is diametrically opposite yours; there's nothing > >unfortunately to talk about... except to say that she has excited > >numbers > >of people in the past and present; I think she's an absolutely > >brilliant > >writer. > > > >- Alan > > > >( URLs/DVDs/CDroms/books/etc. see > >http://www.asondheim.org/advert.txt - > >revised 7/05 ) > > ________________________________ > Find just what you're after with the new, more precise MSN Search - try it > now!
