Well sometimes I have questions about the life cycle of an art object. I am generally okay with its creation from the deep recesses of the human mind, soul, heart, or whatever but am not sure how it is supposed to live its life. If it is a meal or performance it obviously dissolves into the cosmos. Or the digestive tract. But what of a sculpture of clay, stone or metal? What should happen to creative content embedded into a physical object? Fear not dear readers. As you have chosen to utilize what ever small portion of your life on this planet reading this blathering artist post, you shall be soon enlightened. Or perhaps not, no guarantees here.
I basically enjoy museums. I don’t like the admission charge, but that’s another story. It is curious how museum directors keep hoping from job to job. Are there perhaps some politics in play within the institutions of culture? Say it ain’t so! Well anyway to the matter at hand. The “sacred” object.
First let me bring you an illuminating graphic, created with almost no concern as to its truth:
At one point in human history, perhaps several points, the museums were born. They evolved from cabinets of curiosities to the tombs of the sacred.
Since I had posted this a few days ago, I have filled it out a bit more. What I am looking for is it to totally fill its space so the eye can drift in and out of the center.
My goal is to print this digitally, open edition, about 20 inches each side. If successful I may try another at a larger size, we’ll see. The unique thing about a square is that it loses the window like feel of a portrait of landscape rectangle. That’s good. I am looking to be sculptural when it gets to the wall.
This is sort of odd, documenting like this. We will see where things go later.
I sincerely hope, dear readers, my post can live up to the clever title.
One of the nice things about writing, especially online, is you can magically take the reader to see the world from a thousand year time span. A mere thousand years ago a creative image needed to be embodied into physical object, be it a painting, stone sculpture, wood carving, etc.
Then (as they say) came photography. Those invested in painting tenaciously argued it to be a mere mechanical trick, a cheating machine, not worthy of a true art form. Of course on our insightful perch of the 21st century we can see the early detractors were misguided at best. Along with photography came its offspring, moving pictures, later to grow up into the culturally influential cinema.
Then (as they say again) came digital. Actually the idea of digital encoding of a creative product. Film can not last and has a limited life as a vessel of culture. Indeed multiple efforts are underway to digitize the most important creative work on film, be it cinema or visual photographs. But the most important thing about the nature of digital is that it can liberate the visual artist from the object.
I wasn’t sure that showing things that are in progress was a good thing or not, then decided in favor. I’ve got several things going but one thing that I’m sort of energized about is building mandala like meditative images that can be re-produced. Below is just to show something visual and give the tired brain a break from the verbose. I usually work on several things at a time. This is still in an evolving state.
I only wish I had a picture of a garden to insert here so I could include it with my new poem:
Things look great, the garden’s growing. Santa Claus is busy hoeing.
That has nothing to do with anything, but I just thought it was somewhat important to include.