The Cambridge Dictionaries describes art as “…the making of objects, images, music, etc. that are beautiful or that express feelings” (Cambridge Dictionaries, 2014). In this session we wanted to consider what art is, whether our perception of art matches its dictionary definition and how others express their thoughts of what art is. To do this, we discussed different forms of art and how these connect with our perceptions of what it is.
First of all, we watched a Youtube video composed by an amateur artist named Matt Chewiwie. He has created an artist statement which makes suggestions of what art is and how his work relates to these statements. He uses media, life experience, he says he entertains, uses the ‘inner child’, seeks for amazement but does not tell people how to think, he does not touch on political issues and finally he does not expect everyone to enjoy his work. Some of these statements match the dictionaries perception of art, this being the use of resources to create something and the personal expression of something. However, does his work portray this?
Step Pad Poetry – A Solo Performance by Matt Chewiwie (2008) showed Chewiwie explain the function of the dance mat. The prop looks cheap, the lighting in the room is poor and his presentation as a performer is not performative. This may be my opinion. We came to the conclusion, in our session, that even if this performance is perceived well by at least one person, the artist has succeeded in creating art. This comes back to the statement about something being beautiful, this being an element of art based on someone’s opinion. I may not think his performance was of a high enough quality to constitute as art, but his work uses the elements he states are art. This performance uses life experience, the ‘inner child’ and entertains the people in the audience as there is laughter on an occasion.
Orlan
There are other performers out there who use themselves to create what they see as art. These performers come under the category of ‘Performance Art’, a route we are given the option to take for our solo performance. This is where art is formed as performance. The French artist, Orlan, is one which we have looked at. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, this artist reshapes her face using cosmetic surgery. This is not to improve her appearance, but to explore the way features can be changed. The Guardian describes one of her pieces: “In 1964, she presented a nude photograph of herself, shot from above, giving birth to an androgynous mannequin, entitled Orlan S’Accouche d’Elle M’Aime (a punning French title perhaps best translated as Orlan Gives Birth to Her Beloved Self)” (Jeffries, 2009). This came shortly after having an ectopic pregnancy. In this sense we see how Orlan’s life experience has fueled her work and how performance art is another avenue of solo performance.
Works Cited
Cambridge Dictionaries (2014) English definition of “art”. [online] Cambridge University Press. Available from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/art_1?q=art [Accessed 27 February 2014].
Chewiwie, M. (2008) “Step Pad Poetry” – a Solo Performance by Matt Chewiwie. [online video] Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoouBquWzq [Accessed 27 February 2014].
Jeffries, S. (2009) Orlan’s art of sex and surgery. [online] The Guardian. Available from http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/jul/01/orlan-performance-artist-carnal-art [Accessed 27 February 2014].