Last class, Monday January 24, 2011, we began by watching Cibo Matto’s video for “Sugar Water” by Michel Gondry. The video showed two women, one in which time was moving forward and one in which time was going in reverse. Once they both reached the site of the accident, their perception of time switched. We worked in groups analyze what was going on in the video and the time in which it was taking place. It was fascinating to see the different types of charts that people came up with to represent the time flow in the video; some made cyclical charts using pictures to describe the video, others simply used a vertical timeline (very similar to the timeline that Michel Gondry created) to show that the pivotal point of the video is the accident and that is where the time changes, never revealing beyond that point. I really enjoyed this video because it had depth and meaning beyond the artist’s lyrical meaning. I like that you cannot take this video at face value and that even after we discussed it as a class we could not really come up with a definitive meaning for it. This work (as well as many other works of art) is subject to the viewer’s opinions and ideas. This statement leads us to the question we attempted to answer during class: What is art? The class determined that art includes feeling, shape, thought, color, taking context into consideration, story telling, documentation, reflection, spiritual, and entertainment. Now it doesn’t have to include all of these but it does include at least one of these things. It was also decided that the viewer is the one who determines what is art. I feel that the viewer does not always determine what art is though. In my opinion, I think that the artist determines what is art. Just because no one else at the time doesn’t understand, that doesn’t mean that what the artist has made isn’t art. Art can be used as self-fulfillment; it doesn’t always have to mean something to every viewer.
I found JG Whitrow’s What is Time? to be extremely fascinating. I had never in my life thought about how time is an idea and not necessarily a thing until I read this article. It makes perfect sense that we can understand time until we have to verbally explain to someone else what it means. My favorite part of this article was about the Mayans and the Mayan calendar. I think it is interesting that everyone, including the Mayans, believe that the calendar will soon run out, the cycle will end, leading in disaster. I do not believe this. Time is infinite and since it is not truly tangible it is essentially something that is uncontrollable, but probably eternal. Time is more than a calendar and dates, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. Essentially, time marks change. Therefore, I agree with Whitrow when he says, “our conception of time is the dominant feature of our world-view. Perhaps if we did not acknowledge time and the organization it brings to our lives, there would be more chaos in the world as we know it.
I wonder if time can truly be portrayed by art. Time is constantly changing; it is in flux. Therefore, can one moment in time captured by the artist be the true image of that time before it has passed? Our memories and perceptions are never constant and even a photograph cannot perfectly depict the exact image we saw with our very own eyes. On another note, is something only considered art if other people besides the artist see it? I personally feel that the artist decides why their work is a work of art but I can see how the viewer will have their own personal experience with the art as well. Just some questions to get you thinking!
Just recently I discovered Steampunk art. It is probably one of the most interesting things I have stumbled upon yet! What exactly is Steampunk, you ask. Well, it is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction. It is a world in which steam power is still used, such as Victorian-era Britain. It mimics the styles of authors such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. The growing popularity of Steampunk among gamers, geeks, goths, cybergoths, industrial music fans, and punks has caused it to become a bit of a cult movement; essentially it has developed its own culture and lifestyle. Steampunk really fascinates me because I like that people are taking interest in the old and the aesthetic appeal of it. I also really enjoy science fiction so it is fun to see some of the stuff I’ve read about only in books. Whether you know it or not, you have seen Steampunk influence. Have you ever watched Disney’s Treasure Island? Do you have a large fascination with clocks? Have you ever gotten the urge to wear a corset and carry a strange gun? Perhaps you have and perhaps you haven’t but nevertheless you will now be blessed with the opportunity of learning about what Steampunk art really is. Here are some examples of it:
(All information about Steampunk came from Wikipedia, pictures came from Google Images.)
