Hi Curt,
You're course sounds fascinating. I wish I could enroll!
"It is my fervent wish that this book will become obsolete becaues
the world will have changed so dramatically that this study of
art-activism could only appar as a quaint historical artifact, its
latent pessimism misguided, its failure to imagine otherwise
indicative of the author's poverty of imagination. Until such a
point, I will continue to look to tactical media artists for
inspiration and guidance." (xii)
Good to read the Raley quote... Although I know her writing from
other
contexts, I didn't realize she'd written a book on tactical media.
Not that I myself look to "tactical media artists" for much
inspiration or guidance, and probably by the end of the course we
will have critiqued their approaches from contradictory perspectives
-- the work is too didactic/hamfisted/pragmatic; the work is too
disengaged/esoteric/impotent. (Throw a critical stone in the air and
you will hit a tactical media artist.)
Since the mid nineties, I was involved in one way or another with the
Next 5 Minutes, a tactical media conference which happened every few
years Amsterdam. Through that event which was a convergence of art
and activism, I met some pretty amazing artists/activists/tactical
media practitioners (some known and others more obscure). While I
understand your cynicism, it feels strange to generalize about these
practices in that they are quite diverse. So can you talk a little
more about the kind of work you're referring to? I'm thinking here
of
the difference between let's say the sanctioned practices of
Superflex
or maybe N55 versus the more "grass roots work" (not sure if this is
right word) of RepoHistory, Paper Tiger or Deep Dish Television.
Btw:
I'm asking this out of curiosity, not in an adversarial "you-gotta-
defend-yourself-way"... it's more that I think about these issues
myself :-)
It is always amusing to me when artists and/or educators try to
out-ethicalize each other, as if any of us are all that directly,
pragmatically, quantitatively, measurably changing anything. For me,
art and teaching are a gamble -- a gamble that some kind of abstract
affective agency will eventually modulate actual aspects of the
world
in some way that will "matter." Consequently, I admire others who
are
making similar wagers.
I agree with you that art and teaching are a gamble.... also it's a
"slow cooking" process, the impact is often difficult to see, measure
or register.
But I don't ever fool myself into believing
that I'm on the street feeding the poor. Because I've done that kind
of work as well, and it's quite a different thing.
I wonder if you're trying to make a distinction between direct and
indirect action. Feeding the poor on the street is immediate; give
someone food, and their belly is full. Education is very indirect;
educate someone, and they will make of it what they will (or not).
In
other words, these are two types of digestion with different rates of
ingestion. (btw: as I'm writing this, it strikes me that somewhere
buried in here is that quote about teaching a man to fish ;-)
all the best,
Renee
www.geuzen.org
www.fudgethefacts.com
Rock & Roll Ain't No Pollution,
Curt
There's more irony to be had in the quotes, that's why I posted
them.
That and, as Michael points out, they are funny.
Art & Language are anti-academic but started and have often ended
up in
academia. They are politically committed but show at a gentrifying,
market-leading gallery. Despite protests to the contrary they are
radical artists who have artworld careers. I like them.
It's very easy to criticise academia, artistic careerism, the art
market, politically/socially committed art etc. from the security
of
one's own, virtuous, position outside of them. But there's no point
outside the world where we can stand and point and laugh at it.
We all need to be careful about glass houses, or at least work on
smashing our own windows, whether our teaching means we are
objectively
in academia or our radical socially committed artistic practice
means we
are objectively part of gentrification.
The most important criticism is self-criticism, although this may
sometimes mean that we have to admit we are not criticising others
enough. ;-) I've taught, I've wired up abandoned warehouses, I've
attended private views, I write reviews for a techno-art-and-
society web
community. We are all guilty...
- Rob.
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