Can you seperate the art from the artist? I don't think so. If it did, that would mean it would spawn in, spontaneously exist. I think the people that say you can are being a little dishonest, like they are trying to pick what they like and disregard what they don’t like. I think you do have to accept it. Notice that I said ‘accept’ and not ‘agree with’. Art and the process of making it has to be fully acknowledged. 

Art? What the hell is that? Is it something I showld be concerned about? What can I use to treat it? Perhaps a slap across the face? A reality cheque. Spend it well. 

How on earth can art be art if no-one knows what art is? How can I learn about something that does exist

Let’s make art out of ‘art’, artfully.

                                               art art art

Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art

Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art

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   Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art

     Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art Art

                                        Art Art Art Art

                                          Art Art Art

                                              Art Art

               It’s a trophy that I’ll win for my excellent art

(cite atworks)

https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/greatworks2ttrb/files/2017/08/Carson_Variations-on-the-Right-to-Remain-Silent.pdf

Study after Velazquez's portrait of Pope Innocent X, Francis Bacon, 1953. Oil on canvas.

Collage is the act of taking, or sometimes even "stealing", "transforming". We've seen that in Francis Bacon's Pope painting and we've seen that inspiration can take place at any time. The original (Diego Velázquez, Portrait Innocent X, 1650) is three hundred years old and Bacon created his piece in the fifties.

WORK

Tracey Moffatt, A Haunting (2021 – 2024). Instalation

This piece evokes a sense of unease in me, but it is the kind that makes me want to know more. The fact that most of the image is a dark silhouette leaves much to the Imagination. Moreover, there is a striking contrast, in not only the dark shapeless foliage and the geometric, square windows, but also in the difference in the red-orange and black. It is like the set of a slasher film or the exorcist. It is either silent and scheming or people are screaming.  

Photo-Collage Impressions (Based on Del Kathryn Barton's 'inside another land #56', 2017, and Hannah Hoch's Grotesque, 1963).

A great big mess. A flood of salmon-ish pink. And then an eye that doesn’t fit, smoking. flowers  

The stone has a face, but I’ve got no idea whose face it is or why it is smiling.

Another face is wearing shoes. How? 

Are they looking at each other? Are they looking at me? Am I on laughing gas again? 

Flowers point upside down. They've been uprooted and forced in as the giant ear listens for signs of life. But there are none.

This artwork initially confused me. It is of a man riding atop a wrecking ball. It is a parody of that famous song by Miley Cyrus, sung deliberately terribly. He is indigenous and striking back (literally, in this case) against the violent, and in his eyes, wrongly celebrated, colonial history of australia. The thing is clearly a parody, as I've said, but with history in mind, it's very easy to see that there is a deep underlying sadness. It has a 'shut up and listen to me' kind of atmosphere, and the movie-maker quality is an attack on the idea that 'high art' must be intricate or complex, or that art has to be academic in nature. I interpret that the silliness and the music video format are calls-of-action to these most recent generations, via social media. The loudness is a response to the treatment of disadvantaged groups, the tendency to mute people if they are inconvenient. It appears random and self indulgent at first glance but is quite mature when all the pieces fit together,

How does interpretation factor into the artwork? well, if we consider 'death of the author', the significance of the ambiguity often found in the art-space, is its use as a catalyst for the emotional response. Participation is at the core of this philosophy. The artist has their intentions, but the audience determines the value.

And here's another thing, while I’m complaining.

When I go to a gallery and I see that the artworks are just hanging there in an ugly, fake gold frame, I sigh in immense disappointment. When has a frame like that ever complimented its captive? At least silver would blend in with the walls. The issue is, I’ve seen it a million and three times before, so instead of an acknowledgement of prestige, it’s a formality. I understand that they are there also for protection, but they really don't mix at all. I end up fixating, like right now. I roll on to the next artwork, knowing that deep in my bored brain, I’d be disappointed once more.   

Let us roll on to yet another thing.

It makes complete sense that they are protected, reputation and physical work both. I don’t think any creatively minded individual would disagree that in the creative world, artists are perceived as gods and their creations like sculptures, their manifestos like holy scriptures. It is an institution that sustains itself. Art is good for a job but it continues to satisfy humanity’s need to create.

See, a good art gallery doesn’t just hang things up, it celebrates and worships making them a part of the space that they are supposed to proudly dominate. 

It was very interesting to sit and absorb the interpretations of my fellow classmates. As I said before, I was not very impressed by the showings at either gallery, but when I listened to the reasoning and the argumentation, I could see a genuine engagement. I think the fact that everyone chose a different work to comment on illustrates really well the subjectivity inherent to creating or responding.  It was also interesting to see the contexts: there were historical interpretations, societal critiques, embodied perspectives. They are interpretations but I also feel like the ability to put it into words creates a unique signature. What I mean is, If you separated the style from the artwork, I feel like I could recall the voices fairly well.

For me, sitting through all these showed me just how coded or reliant on conventions our experiences are. For instance,  What do we consider beautiful. What do we consider moral, good and bad? Admittedly, when I engage with art, I limit myself to a surface level reading and if I'm up to it I come back for a second more invested gaze. This is to prevent fatigue and is also a guard against the infinite rabbit hole that is symbolism. I know It's virtually impossible, but I always attempt to pay equal respect to what it is and what it represents. Those combined contribute the "absolute value". (Sontag, S. 1966)

I like to do presentations, because I enjoy the feeling of having a conversation and thinking about things, being able to really guide a conversation. Then  there is the feeling of being up on the stage and feeling in control of this environment, small as it is. You have to kind of gain the respect of your peers. I know I’ve got their respect. At that point, humble as I try to be, I think it’s alright if I just stroke my ego just a bit.

When you are presenting,

it’s very common to 

freeze up — feel

Like 

You just have

to 

clear

your

throat and

Get it over with. 

PROMPT 1

To me, real research is an investigation. It is not just going to google and making use of what is already there; that's just searching. Research should be innovative or at least new. I’ve spoken to my parents about this sort of thing and they say that if it involves blood sweat and tears, years of your life, sleepless nights, procrastination and suffering, It’s not research unless you have gone too far, as Karl Knausgaard puts it. The way they put it, it sounds like worst thing ever. Perhaps the suffering for the greater cause — the hungry looking — is addicting.

PROMPT 2

If the creative writing is clearly based in fact, it can certainly involve some research. It depends on the 'labour'. I do my own creative writing outside of class and it is significant work, but the labour is casual and deliberately disconnected from our reality.  I think that there is an element of fantasy to this.  

THE THREE ASPECTS

Variation on experience

Narrative intelligence

Moving beyond the zone 

All three ideas are components of research, but do not count as research on their own. 

A) 

In the art space, the first is useful for context and can allowed you to compare one artwork to another, technically or aesthetically. 

B)

If you apply the second, you will be able to make inferences about the research and identify trends and symbolism, hidden meanings or even stories. You should be able to, with enough practice, become a kind of fictional  datective detecting fiction. With enough practice, you may even be as good as the great datective himself. Right now, I’m just a lowly ‘Watson’. Enthusiastic but inexperienced. 

C)

Moving beyond expands the items at your disposal in your metaphorical toolbox. You'll have more to write about and you'll be able to confront potentially unpleasant subject material. This will  toughen your skin, ensure you won't be easily traumatised.  

MODES OF RESEARCH

Archives and documents: Historical, notetaking

Interviews and conversations: Archival

Observational and experimental: Introspective, creative 

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2021/01/05/what-writers-and-editors-do/

With that said,

Creative Writing must be:

Challenging -- There's no satisfaction in a five minute throw-away. Make something that you are glad exists, that you can brag about, that you can put on the fridge.

Interesting -- If the writer has no interest in writing, it's not going to be interesting. No one else should care if you don't.

Authentic -- A writer that takes no risks is a writer that won't find success or fulfillment. Yes, you do need to put food on your table, but if you are truly passionate, and this goes for any profession, money is not your only concern. As Mierle Laderman Ukeles puts it, you must find the confidence to say, "I am an artist".

Fun --  Enjoyment is pleasant, and will help to sustain the lifespan of whatever you spend the time on. Don't forget to dedicate some time to yourself, to avoid burnout. 

But I do want to offer a very clear opinion on this next point. Many of the kids in my age group participate in some form of activism. I think it is very good, very proactive. I also think that it is very easy to get swept up in whatever cause you are serving. Should you put messages in your pieces? Only if you believe in them. If you're doing it because you think it's fashionable, you should stop. 

One final comment: If you want to be taken seriously, you should never, ever, write about the evils of capitalism. We are in too deep. We all know that Starbucks is evil but it’s too late. Starbucks comes for us all in the end.  

https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=unimelb&id=GALE|A533005114&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-AONE&asid=d5360ff8

Dear Diary, today I committed vandalism. In the name of collaboration, I tore a page from a book. Something about a boat? What a fool I was. Page 29 has sealed my fate.

The page said not an animal or a plant. "Wouldn't it be so funny...", I thought, "...if I write down the fact that a mushroom fits comfortably into neither category." What a mighty wit I possess.

My handwriting is very distinctive, so there is an extremely high chance that they will catch me and throw me in jail. And what about my accomplice, Aaron? Will they put him in a box too? He's the one that drew the image. It's funny to me that the mushroom is looking off to the side, paranoid, as   through at any moment he could get shot. How funny that my own head has been swivelling in the same fashion ever since. If only I comprehended the sheer magnitude of my colossal mistake.

I’ve just been Informed that the court date is next week. I’ve already gone and picked a cheap suit from of the rack. Hopefully, it sways the jury in my favour. Ah, probably not. 

I met with my attorney today. Can confirm I haven’t got a chance. He’s got a great can-do attitude, but he’s severely laking in experience, fresh from law school. “This is my badge, it proves i’m a lawyer”. 

Confused, I told him that I didn’t doubt him. Are there fake lawyers going around playing dress up? That would go a long way in explaining his hair, I think. Look at all those spikes! How much gel does one person n

The reality is setting in now. You probably think I’m being a little melodramatic. No, I’m not. After learning that mushroom graffiti is a federal crime and I could get either life in prison or the death penalty. So please excuse me if I’m a little nervous. 

Wish me the best of luck. The very best. No less. 

https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/130732/pages/week-11-all-in-collaboration?module_item_id=6366084