This is a blog

I found this course quite strange because it is not something i had looked into before, and for me 'social relations and critical spaces' is very broad and hard to grasp. I have although come to a better understanding of the subject by the end. I enjoyed the way the course has been structured because i have enjoyed the blog, i find it motivates me to research and i also like that the classes are not based on a particular reading, because it makes the class more enjoyable not having the pressure to read the readings as i was able to do my own research for each week, and it also allowed for more discussion. And so happy to not have to do group presentations!! I really enjoyed last weeks lesson with Lucus and Diago because it gave the opportunity to get an insight into the subject and see how particular artists work, and of course to get out of the class room and see some art.

Janet Laurence

Artist Lucas Ihelein is currently exhibiting at the MCA 'In the Balance: Art for a Changing World', exhibiting artists which respond to environmental and ecological concerns and issues. A relevant artist which is exhibiting in the exhibition is Janet Laurence. Laurence's works have an organic quality which finds a point where art, science and memory meet. She is aware of interconnected life forms and how and her interest lies in the natural and built environment and how people relate to environments. Laurence considers the space of environments and the relation between the body and the environment and creates memory in a space.. how the body reacts to and experiences a space. Laurence creates architectural installations and site-specific works which are environments that immerses the audience in the space, using sound, nature and considers the architectural space around. Science is an important focus in Laurence's works. She considers the science of how things change, how the environment changes. She in interested in creating an experience. Her installations are immersive and reflect the body.

What is critique?

From the 'eipcp' website I found the article 'What is Critique?'

And it made me think about how cruicial critique is in the art world. The art world would not exist without critique. It can be defined as meaningful differentiation of concepts or a “practice that suspends judgment”. The term ‘critique’ was first called “technique” and “art”, which is found through centuries in many Europenan languages. This is interesting because the term critique was originally related to art, so therefore a term which must stay in relation to art. Art would not be art without a critique.

Aesthetics

Laibach is predominantly a musical group which has been discussed, although I thought I’d research further into the group, and I discovered the group works in other media including visual art. The group formed a visual artwork under the name of Laibach Kunst, which represented the group’s visual imagery as a band, as a way to advertise their façade. The imagery of the cross became their iconic symbol as a band, after artworks ‘Kreuzschach’ and ‘MB 84 Memorandum’.

‘MB 84 Memorandum’ is an important artwork to laibach as the cross imagery emphasizes continual repetition, and the importance of context to meaning. Although Laibach do not refer to the concept of music in their artworks, I can almost see music in their visuals, with their use of repetition. Laibach now incorporate their music with artworks as they work in other mediums including sound events, performances, and sound installations, such as ‘Oscillations - 30 days of sound’.

Christo

This weeks topic led me to thinking about Christo and the controversy that would have come up with his projects. Although he is such an established artist, he would have similar issues to any other site specific artist, although on large scale. Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "Over the River" was a project which recieved huge public uproar, as they proposed to suspend six miles of silver fabric panels over the Arkansas River, which turned out to be a $50-million art event. I have an issue with the thought of such large amounts of money being spent on a temporary installation. For this project Christo had the weight of two federal and four state agencies, two countries and many towns pressing against them. They had the roar of the public to face, with the concerned public and protest groups which formed against Christo.

This type of work in particular makes me wonder who art is for? If there is such objections to an art work then it is not for the public so who is it for? Which is a relevant question when such large amounts of money are being spent on it.

A Dialogic Imagination

This weeks reading lead me to researching other texts such as 'Negociating Meaning: The Dialogic Imagination in Electronic Art' by Eduardo Kac. In reference to Kac's reading he speaks about the new age of dialogue and how it relates to art. He refers to the largest part of language in today'sw society being digital technology, with the largest manifestation being the web which enables interaction in many diverse ways. Much about social interaction can be learnt from electronic art. Dialogical philosophy was establishedby Buberand developed by Mikhail Nakhtin. For Bakhtin, "human conciousness is the semiotic intercource of one subject with another, i.e., conciousness is at once inside and outside the subject." He believes language to be the material means of production via a process of dialouge. His approach is through artworks that do not have visuals, but visuals through artworks that do not have visuals, but visuals through dialouge. Which makes us question what art is? Bakhtins ideas state that typical art such as wall hangings and objects miss the opportunity to speak to the first type of dialogical philosophy in art which changes our ideas of art. Dialogical imaginations could potentially take art beyond collaboration and participation. Within visual arts the idea of collabortaion has been around for at least a century.

Psychogeography

Situationists were known for experimenting with human desires and constructing situations to fulfill these desires such as unitary urbanism as well as psychogeography. Psychogeography was defined by Guy Debord as "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals." This refers to the human connection with the environment. So they way humans shape their environment or the way the environment shapes humans. This may be through analysing human behaviour or feeling a connection with the environment or a building for example. It is the study into the impact and effects the geographical environment has on the psyche and behaviour of individuals. It may be how a smell or sound recalls emotional memories. As Alan Moore describes it as, “... the place and time from which we emerge shapes all of us.”

Who is art for?

This weeks reader made me question who art is for? and what role culture plays in individual lives and contemporary society? It could be argued that art is purely for the individual, which may sound self-indulgent. Although in todays society and the era we live in today art is more commonly made to be sold and therefore art iself is a commodity. Culture must got further than economics. Although we focus on the artworks value. Can we look past mass accumulation and be able to look at an artwork without considering its value, or to be able to create an artwork without the idea of value? Economics is naturally a large part of our society, although are we then just making art for pure self-indulgence? Is culture failing us?

Relational Art?

Bourriaud defines Relational Art as not necisarily interactive art but art which considers the whole of human relations and their social context. Although i find this a particularly broad term...
All art must be interactive in some form as it must have an audience for it to exist as art. Also all art relates to or in some way depends on society, as art would not exist without society. So to say that Relational Art considers social context seems unnecessary.?