I found the essay here: White Elephant Art vs. Termite Art This is the full text of a manifesto by Manny Farber, written in 1962. Since disavowed by Farber, this piece has nonetheless served as fierce inspiration for me and the other members of the Termite Television Collective.
http://www.jambop.com/jambop/2004/11/white_elephant_.html --- In ma-network@yahoogroups.com, "Oh Boy Mailart!" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > In the episode of Six Feet Under where Claire's art teacher, brought up > the opposed concepts of White Elephant Art and Termite Art, > these ideas belong to Manny Farber, the film critic. > > They have to do with pretentious art and progressive art. > > White Elephant art destroys its meaning and creativity in pursuit of > seriousness and acclaim, whereas termite art burrows and eats away the > boundaries of its genre as it goes forward, just eating and > regurgitating wood fibers all crazy-style. >
