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on expressionism and activism and ... | 1 comments

[new] Between Silence and Absorption (Avg. Score: none / Raters: 0) (#1)
by TreborScholz on Tue May 13th, 2003 at 03:23:07 PM EURODISCORDIA TIME
(User Info) http://molodiez.org

Monica,
So that is what you meant when you wrote me that you'll drop in an informal comment...Wow. Great.
The presence of counter-imagery and the global demonstrations are helping to disrupt the US Administration's grip on the flow of information. At least to a certain extent. So I do appreciate these many artistic spontaneous responses. Some artists refused to do what they are best at- because it would play into the dynamic of a discourse driven by the administration. That was like the game "If I say war...you say:..."
I agree with your concerns related to contrinuting in the spectacle of democacy with all its necessary intrinsic players. I brought the example of Michael Moore who became a kind of key popular figure, which is good. But he can only be so successful as his critique in his recent documentary on gun control: "Bowling for Columbine" is incredibly unspecific, not really following up who really does create the fear that maks people buy guns and use them against each other. He "allowed" to shout "Shame on Bush" at the Oscar's and like you said, he feeds perfectly into the spectacle of democracy. A similar example is Wieden & Kennedy (Nike's ad company) calling up Negativeland (authors of the controversial record "Religion is stupid" ) to ask them to do a Coke commercial for them. The band was depressed as that showed them how much their work is co-optable, absorbable. But still I insist that it is important for some in the US to hear that guns are a bad thing (in a teenager's hand). Or, with Lucy Lippard: There is always that 18 year old who has not heard any of it.
And I can't get ACTUP's 80s Silence=Death slogan out of my head and I am still questioning your position of creative or productive silence. Does not that just leave the field to the dominant discourse? I also disagree when you say that there is so much politically engaged work in "the West." I think Europe and the Us are completely different in that respect. In Europe it seems to be the year of political art I was told. Also this year's Venice Biennal has some political intent. I probably don't need to mention that that's not true for museum's scene the United States...

When looking at the demonstrrations and what they achieved I am more optimistic than you. The war was not stopped but very visibly the world showed opposition, in New York- people who never considered themselves political or "lefty" of any coleur joint the demonstrations. International, national and regional networkss were created. And when I look at photographs of these protests today I feel courage, joy and hope.

Will they "change the superstructure" according to your demand? The US is in no way anywhere near anything that would make that a realistic dream even.

At a program that I faciliated in 2001: Carnival in the Eye of the Storm: Kosov@, Boris Buden said:
To "do" something doesn't always mean to engage oneself in the concrete practical situation. Grasping the meaning of historical events can have an impact on them.

In that spirit I disagree with Brian that the stone thrown at a demonstration should be the capstone of art, the North Pole on which we orient. Because, you know, Brian, the North Pole markation drifts daily.
_/ _/ _/

on expressionism and activism and ... | 1 comments

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