And what was his art? Now this is hard to even say - even let the words sputter out of my mouth. The reason being I too, am an artist. I have been one for decades, have studied and copied the masters, done work in most every media (I prefer drawing or acrylic or colored pencil over drawings,) and worked hard to have some scope to my art: portraits, landscapes, still life, abstracts, and just about every thing in between. I love the stuff. I breathe art. I love to know everything there is to know about art and artists).
So what was his art? He got the yard wide novelty check from Madonna (representing a couple of years of my income) for his exhibit of flashing light bulbs in an empty room. (His previous works include a scrunched up piece of paper and a ball of clay stuck to a wall.)
British art curator Simon Wilson notes, "He wants to make art where he is doing as little as possible that is consistent with doing something. The fact that many people find his work so baffling indicates that he's working on the edge." Oh I see. Now I am getting it. Now I am figuring out the "NEW" rules. Creed himself comments, "If I can make something without adding any objects, I feel more comfortable."
And then it DAWNED ON ME. I would bring modern art to its end. I would suggest the ultimate. The ultimate in baffling minimalism. I would get the plastic check from Madonna.
So on TUESDAY 1/08/02 at 1:30-1:40 PM, as I was walking home from the taco place, I took art to its ultimate. This was the last minute of modern art. It could go no further.
Where Creed had flashing lights in an empty room, I would ... IMAGINE A GALLERY IN MY MIND THAT WOULD HAVE NO LIGHTS ON AT ALL! And I did. And that moment marked the end of modern art.
News and comment. There are a couple stories in the news I wanted to comment on:
1.The Supreme Court says a daily minute of silence is ok in public school. I really think that prayer should be back in school, but this way. Each day do a prayer from a different religion. That would do 2 things. 1. it would allow kids to learn about other religions which is an important part of education. 2. It would determine the goals of those who want prayer in school. If they want it to broaden education to include knowledge of all religions, then I am all for it. If they want to proselytize for one specific religion then they will suddenly oppose my idea, and we'll see their real intent.
2. Since the terrorist attack it has seemed that we have allowed the terrorists to appear as the moral fighters and we as Richie Rich godless Americans. The truth is that there is a moral side to preserving democracy too. And it is moral to support and defend freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion. And in my opinion it is morally wrong to oppose these freedoms, no matter who's name you invoke to justify it.
I Love Sci-fi, but it is hard to find well written, smart stories. So here are 3 great film - TV series ideas:
SHORT STORY FILM: This is from an essay by Arthur C. Clark. He is talking about ballet on a space platform with zero - g, or no gravity: "Some of the zero-gee ballets, with special lighting effects, that the expert performers can execute are unbelievably beautiful, like fairyland filmed in slow motion." (from Report on Planet 3). Now that would make a great visual in any film.
TV SERIAL: Author Brian Stableford, in his book Journey to the Center, talks of a man-made planet with many layers. This from the book cover blurb, "Many different species and many different types of individual sought answers to the multiple enigmas of Asgard. Anthropologists, fortune hunters, scientists, gangsters, politicians and explorers found reason to congregate on the planet which possibly wasn't a planet.
To stand on the artificial surface and wonder how many subcutaneous levels the planet contained, and what if anything, was at the center. And to examine the artifacts on the reachable levels where the temperature approached Absolute Zero. Artifacts of a civilization far more advanced than any known spacefaring species of the day." Now that is a show. Each week a lost group of explorers goes up and down the 1,000's and 1,000's of layers of this planet, meeting all kinds of other aliens, etc. And finally begins to approach the center civilization that made the place!
FILM: And this one is my idea, but first some background (from Scientific American). Did you know that under the ice on Antarctica there are 70 lakes? And one, Vostok, buried beneath some 13,000 feet of ice, is as big as Lake Ontario but up to four times as deep? Also you probably know that the continents drift, and so at one time Antarctica was connected to the other continents and surrounded by warm water. Also, as in any good sci-fi story, the popsicle lake is just about in the center of the continent at almost the worst spot on earth, temperature wise. Now we put that all together to get a good story.
Scientists build a shaft down to the lake. It is the purest water on earth. It is also water from 14 million years ago. And it is a frozen aquarium filled with quick frozen life from 14 million years ago. The entire place is sectioned off into blocks of ice like cages, and each becomes like a frozen aquarium tank. Visitors walk through the lake to look at all the frozen wildlife on display. But in setting up the biggest aquarium in the world, something goes horribly horribly wrong.... Now that's sci-fi entertainment!
The psychology of art: "If you want to be an outstanding musician, artist, or fashion designer, you must go one step beyond the current level of excitement or open up a new form" (quote from Psychology, a Beginning, a psych textbook, Gergen, Suls, etc.) According to a theory by Colin Martindale (1984), regardless of the art form, each new artist, to be successful and thus deemed creative by society, must be more daring and sensual than those preceding him or he will be considered an imitator. Then once an art form is pushed to the limits, in terms of sensations, the form of art changes, and a new more conservative form of expression replaces it. Interesting stuff.
The Musea reading fund began as a way to offer bookstore credit to anyone who wanted financial help in buying any classic related book, recording, zine, etc. Anyone can use it by either visiting Paperbacks Plus in Dallas, or calling them at 214 827-4860. It began modestly with about $20. Recently through some nice donations it was up to $400. Then last month while I was delivering my new issue of Musea, the employees told me that the fund had grown to over $1,400. It's become a monster from people who are supporting the idea with their donations.
Because I publish my own zine, I hardly ever write letters to the editor. But I did respond to the Dallas alt weekly Observer's story on downtown development. They printed it in their latest issue and I'd like to reprint it for the e-mail club readers: In your article on downtown development, someone is quoted as saying, "It's not going to be fixed with a magic bullet." But I disagree. If you can get rid of the cars downtown (they can park outside it, or travel around it), then you instantly have the biggest and best pedestrian mall in the U.S. Many European countries ban traffic in parts of their cities.
There would be problems of deliveries and emergency vehicles, but they could be worked out. The biggest problem is that it would benefit the community at large, instead of a single business or group of developers, like most downtown revitalization plans.
I work with the public. I sell tickets at a movie theater box office 3 times a week. It has led me to devise Tom's rule that says 1 out of every 100 customers is certifiably insane. When I tell the other staff my rule, they say ONE? Anyway, when you work with the public you get some strange questions and comments such as "are those show times for today?" Here are 3 of my favorites, and they all really happened.
1. Art Noxon gave me this one. There were stairs in the auditorium and a customer asked him, "do they go up or down?'
2. This one doubled me up laughing, "When does the midnight movies start?"
3. And this happened to fellow worker Terry. A customer asked if there was a Starbucks near by. He said there was - about 4 stores down. Then the customer asks, "Is there one closer?"
The art revolution began in '92, as a way to oppose Corporate art/media. I think many think that that is a vague concept concerning foggy groups out there that none can quite identify. I have made a list of 10. Yet I'd like to concede my list to a better presented list from the publication, The Nation. They have occasionally written about this consolidation and when they do it is always well done. Michael Helsem pointed me to this web page of theirs that's better than any novel of words, shows who the ten are and what they own. Please click on:
http://www.thenation.com/bigten
On the left you will see a list of these ten. Click on any and you'll see what they own. It is overwhelming!
Quiz time: " I feared to tell (the) real name to the white men lest they cast an evil spell.." This American Indian's (famous in both fable and history) real name was Matoaka. But we know Matoaka by one of 2 more famous names. Name either . And speaking of Amerindians, here is a miniQuiz about music. The Iroquois made drums they called water drums, that had water in them. Why would they put water in their drums? Answer to both, later.
YSL has retired. Is it a big deal when a courtier stops? It is when he is at the level of this clothes designer. Often we don't consider this field in the realm of 'high' art, but Yves Saint Laurent took it to those heights. He was and remains a gifted artist and no one in the field has rivaled his skill since he began in the late 60's. Givenchy was close at times, but only close. Perhaps YSL's design skills were enhanced more than anything by his craftsmanship, he could actually make the clothes he designed. He is one of our era's great artists!
I'd like to sum up the 5 main plays that I've written - from earliest to latest:
1. THE WANDERING STUDENTS, takes place in a magical wood. Two nymphs bewitch 2 college students with lyrical results (rhymed play) It is a homage to Shakespeare's comedies.
2. MEDUSA. Two Greek Gods, Athena and Poseidon are in a power struggle; with Medusa the red-haired beauty, and other mortals, as pawns in their contest.
3. WILLIAM TELL, THE PLAY. A group of players are acting out Shiller's, William Tell - but is it staged or real when he shoots that arrow? A play that tests reality.
4. DAEDALUS The flying feathered father and his son, must escape the Minotaur monster, but the king won't let the pair leave. Daedalus has the intellect and skill for invention, but fate is against him in this tragedy. (On our website - see issue #85)
5. MANIKIN AND MINIKIN. Two Porcelain figurines sport with one another on a mantle in an English parlor, in this romantic play a rewriting of a play by Alfred Kreymborg. (See February '02 Musea)
I picked up a copy of Adbusters magazine Nov/Dec. 2001 http://www.adbusters.org and was very impressed by their art revolutionary spirit. Here are some ideas & excerpts, from an issue filled with them:
1. Workers in an El Salvador factory are paid 11.6 cents for every $12.99 Gap T-shirt they sew.
2. "According to Commercial Alert...at least 8 search engines fail to clearly indicate when search results have been paid for by advertisers - Lycos, Netscape, HotBot, MSN.com, Alta vista, Direct Hit, LookSmart, and iWon.com
3. Did you know that when you enter a store you will usually turn right and the wider the aisle, the slower you'll move.
4. The American Psychologist report is only the latest to declare that the real life costs of media violence are now beyond reasonable doubt... The warning was reiterated in July 2000, when 6 prominent American medical, psychological and psychiatric orgs signed a joint statement on the hazards of exposing children to on screen violence.
5. An author watched every word and image that came across the largest cable system in a 24 hour period. Even more than violence, the message was extreme individualism. "This hyper individualism is a relatively new phenomenon in our lives. For most of human history, people have put ...the tribe, the gods, the natural world (as the most important). But a consumer society can't tolerate that...it complicates consumption.
6. Adbusters can only buy ads on one station CNN "If commercial messages have First Amendment protection, surely anti-commercial ones do too." A 30 second slot = $1,800 on CNN News, $7,500 on Larry King.
7. Three quarters of global TV is now operated by fewer than 10 corps.
I just heard from Tim Wood the editor of Arts D/FW, the local arts monthly 'zine, and website. He says that the zine has ended but that the website will continue - see http://artsDFW.com
I wanted to take this time to salute all the good this zine did in its 8 years, 1994-2002. It began as The Word and specialized in poetry and a calendar listing of poetry events. Over the years it grew to include all the arts and shifted its name to the more general Arts D/FW
It was one of the few venues for artists outside of the daily and the weekly newspapers. And over the years it showcased a LOT of poets, their work, commentary on all the arts, some reviews, art work with some nice big color covers, and more.
I got to know Tim through Musea. He had read an article that interested him about an all arts, arts center. He, I, and a 3rd reader worked up the first Art Revolutionary Festival - a day long, all arts everything - concert, art and zine exhibit, theater, etc. It was great fun and we had a big crowd. He went on to do 2 or 3 more. I always remember them as being some of the best and most exciting 'art fun' I've ever had.
I look forward to an expanded website from Tim in the future and who knows what else. But till then, and, Tim - on behalf of all your readers for the last 8 years - thanks for all your hard work and investment into the arts of D/FW.
Answer to quiz (The mini quiz - higher water raises the pitch of the drums) The Amerindian famous in fable and history named Matoaka was .... Pocahontas. And what an extraordinary life she had. It would make a perfect Opera libretto.
She was Chief Powhatan's daughter. He had caught John Smith and was asking the tribe how to handle the prisoner. They demanded death, though a quick one. The club was raised and ready to strike his head on the block, when little kid Pocahontas stretched herself over him and pleaded for his life. She prevailed and Smith became the little girls slave. He whittled wonderful toys and dolls for her, showed her a compass, and told her - as best he could - about boys and girls across the sea.
A ransom is set up for Capt. John Smith. 2 cannon and assorted extras for his life. He agrees knowing full well that the entire tribe couldn't lift the cannon. Slick trick.
Next act, Pocahontas has become friends with the settlers. Visits their settlement often, and - to stop the Indian uprising, stealing, and kidnapping - is kidnapped by the colonists. As a sad captive she learns English, dresses in English clothes, and even becomes baptized as Lady Rebecca (the colonists also learn her real name Matoaka. Her father said, " I feared to tell her real name to the white men lest they cast an evil spell upon her.") She grows up in the colony; meets and falls in love with tobacco planter, John Rolfe and they marry. Rolfe, like other settlers has a cash crop in tobacco and the Europeans love the stuff. It's a pure gold crop. The marriage was the most important event of its kind for many years. Sir Thams Dale, the governor attends with all the church dignitaries, and gives her away to the happy groom.
The young couple sail for England. Though her father didn't attend the wedding, he gave his blessing, and on this trip he advises, "Go and come back to tell me about the English King and the land across the sea. For I would know more concerning the white man's ways."
In London, Lady Rebecca is showered with honors reserved for royalty. The English looked upon her as the daughter of an emperor. She reacts modestly and with charm and manners. She reunites with Captain John Smith and rushes up to him with arms outstretched crying, "My father." He responds with court etiquette, lifts her hand and kisses it.
Last act - and sadly enough it is a tragedy, though it doesn't start out that way. A son is born to her, but her health fails. She catches a severe cold which the London fogs seem to aggravate. In alarm and out of love, her husband plans a speedy return to Virginia. The very captain who had kidnapped her, Captain Argall, is now in the harbor preparing to sail. But alas before he weighed anchor she died.
Rolfe and his little son sailed alone. When they reached Jamestown the bell in the square church tower tolled, and another solemn service was held for the late bride. What a story!
Here are some sayings of Ed. Art:
Blank texts say the most...The Moon pulls tides seen and unseen... Until the wind comes, the chimes don't exist... Digest food before koans... Birds sing the truth... You can see better in the dark than with a light in your eyes... Favorite recipe: "heat up"... Each book a different story... An ocean of stories in a bottle of ink... Live in pleasure instead of opulence... A race to waste... Old age creeps but it's still faster than you... Don't chase cars, chase drivers... Old soldiers never die, they send young ones to do it for them... Sunshine as far as the eye can see... You must beat a man down before he can get up... Like throwing a bird at a worm... On or off - the same switch... Don't get in the boat and then refuse to sail... Sometimes a shrine is an empty hall... Hope is sparks before a flame.
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