This week I have continued with the online learning and have sketched out some interesting ideas for websites to support my work. however I will need to add these when I have more time. It’s great when you have new tools at your disposal and you can see how they could all fit together.
It has been one of those weeks where ill health and other responsibilities have taken over and unfortunately I missed some of the chat. However that’s life!
LEARNING
I’m planning to spend the next 3 – 4 weeks learning the Adobe Creative Suite CS2 (having hunted around Penang to see what I could find). I’ve subscribed to Lynda.com for a month to access the video tutorials having failed miserably in the past relying on books and lack of certainty. I have already covered a good chunk of the tutorials and am really, really enjoying learning something new. The learning buzz is not only great but I can clearly see the potential in setting aside this time to do this both for myself and my ‘digital’ working outcomes.
I have to say I am very impressed with the tutorials so far. I am following them systematically and am learning loads of cool stuff. I recommend it.
ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK
I am very happy and encouraged by the feedback I received for MADA 1. I was actually a little surprised considering recent fluctuations in thinking and productivity.
Two things mentioned in the feedback were Martin Parr and elitism, which I have rambled on about below, and, keeping final outcome options open.
I am more than happy to keep my outcomes open and part of the reason I am trying to improve my skill set is to allow for many more creative solutions. So we’ll wait and see.
COULD ART BE ELITIST?
Andy and Jonathon suggested I look at Martin Parr having read my description of my “mother-in –law’s house” in my project proposal. Which I actually debated including. They also raised the question therein of elitism in art.
As an artist I have often wanted to document society (ies) as I have lived in a few and yet have never been quite comfortable with my standpoint. During my time in the UK, Greece and Malaysia I have seen the potential in so many scenarios that I have been privileged enough to be accepted into and yet I have chosen not to take out my camera for the very reason that I am not sure whether I would be crossing the ‘trust’ line and exploiting differences and individuality. I was interested therefore when I looked up Martin Parr to read the description of his photographic reasoning.
“…In the process he examines national characteristics and international phenomena to find out how valid they are as symbols that will help future generations to understand our cultural peculiarities. Parr enables us to see things that have seemed familiar to us in a completely new way. In this way he creates his own image of society, which allows us to combine an analysis of the visible signs of globalization with unusual visual experiences. In his photographs, Parr juxtaposes specific images with universal ones without resolving the contradictions. Individual characteristics are accepted and eccentricities are treasured.”
Thomas Weski on Martin Parr
http://www.martinparr.com/index1.html
So, is Art elitist?
I think it depends; first here are a few definitions.
e·lit·ism n
1. The belief that some people or things are inherently superior to others and deserve preeminence, preferential treatment, or higher rewards because of their superiority
Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Elitist adj
1. If you describe systems, practices, or ideas as elitist. You believe that they favour only the most powerful, rich or talented people within a group, [place or society: used showing disapproval.Collins Cobuild, English Dictionary.
Three things from the above evaluation of Parr’s work that may be or not be elitist;
“Parr juxtaposes specific images with universal ones without resolving the contradictions”
Perhaps it’s the academicism of art that is elite in that it is the ‘resolving of issues’ that creates notions of elitism.
“Parr enables us to see things that have seemed familiar to us in a completely new way”
The suggestion that the artist has something to teach society rather than something interesting to share with people.
“Individual characteristics are accepted and eccentricities are treasured.”
Where is the line between celebrating differences and turning them into a ‘freak show’?
I do know some artists who believe themselves to have a superior outlook to life and that their work is “beyond the understanding of most people”. However `I think this is a trait in human nature not necessarily restricted to (or should I say privileged to) Art. The same could be said of any specialist professional groups or ‘subcultures’ doctors, musicians, and teachers. Perhaps the question is who decides it is elite and as a term used to show disapproval what would the reasoning behind using it be. Surely the user of the language feels something more than just wanting to be accepted by a group (Chip on the shoulder). If I want to be on equal conversation grounds with a Neuro Surgeon I accept I have a lot to learn and that’s my choice.
Perhaps it’s simply narcissism and the art world likes to think of itself as elitist. Last week in our chat there was a discussion about “the masses” and “the others”. I think this is very interesting as the notion of otherness is inherent everywhere. In cultures, religion, ethnic diversity in select groups of interest. Is it just a way of gaining self-identity and feeling valuable or is it actually grandiose thinking which lets not forget, is on the tick list of emotional disorders.
So, to conclude my brief (un researched) outburst about elitism.
I think some people like to consider art elite for personal reasons. I believe that most people probably don’t give it a second thought. And I’m not sure that it is either changeable or that it really matters. I believe that western art practice really does celebrate diversity in individual thinking and that this is a very positive part of our culture. To turn that into a negative is a shame, however I also think that, as in free speech and journalism, there is a responsibility to produce work which does not harm. But that is subjective too.
Perhaps this topic might be fun for the PGPD essay.
I have been helping N finish the drawings for his assignment. The report is a Building Survey Inline with English Heritage Standards and Practise Level 3, which in drawing terms requires scale 2D plans and elevations. My task was to scan and do the final edits to the drawings and put them into a presentable format.
I thought the drawing were really nice and I played around with them – taking them clumsily into Photoshop to create a 3D likeness. I loved the results with the contrasting 2d detail and 3d structural qualities. I thought that this represented something similar to the flat imagery in 1W23 and would make an interesting approach to creating Faux Interiors, really exaggerating the realities.
I could design and draw up the interior of an imaginary ’stately home’ (or other interior) and create a web site with hot spots presenting it like a info site which would open into my research and final pieces of work. I really like the raw drawn look.
I’m considering devoting the next 3 weeks to software learning – web and possibly ArchiCAD as I think t hat this could really benefit my learning and project solutions.
CONTEXTUALISATION – RESEARCH – PROTOTYPE
This weeks chat was very useful and clear. Jonathon outlined the next 30 week of the course and what is required of us. I will really need to discipline myself to Blog everything I do and think about. I have many notebooks and images which are not represented on my blog and of course what is not there, will not be seen.
I am quite looking forward to developing my ideas and also adapting my approaches hopefully to new software. The two assignments which will be required will also be a healthy challenge and if I work continuously should not be a problem for content.
I guess having spent last week working on a very vocational project, I’ve been reassessing the direction my work is going in and questioning what I will take away form this MA. I think it’s time I learnt how to build websites and started adding to my skill set.
I’ve downloaded the 30day trial of Adobe Go Live. I figured I would be more inspired to start by learning software that was design based before I attempt to learn a scripting language – which seems very daunting at the moment.
I’ve proudly worked my way through the tutorials and have covered – Objects-Creating Pages- Text -Background -Frames -Scrolls -Tables -CSS -Templates -Stationary Patterns and links.
My pages even look like a website. This may not seem much anyone who may read this who can build websites already, but it’s a big leap for me. I’m already considering ways to incorporate this into my project. Hopefully we’ll have a working web page by next year!
SECOND LIFE
In the chat this week we discsssed the second life conference in June. After a bit of technical stress I finally got it up and running and have a nice new Second Life name. However I still need to master moving her about.
I’ve not had the most constructive week in terms of my course-work, however it has been an interesting week. I’ve been helping my ‘man’ measure a Chinese Shop House for a heritage assignment for his MA. We had to document and measure the whole building and draw it up. We also had to get in touch with the Penang Heritage Society to dig out old deeds, records and maps from the area and for the building.
The building itself ,12 Church Street, was built in 1890, so has past through various owners and tennants hands aswell as undergoing stages of renovation, the last of which reinstated it to UNESCO heritage standards. N has to document and assess all the transformations. It was a very enjoyable experience.
One of the stories we found out was about the temple directly across the street. It used to be the headquarters of the Chinese Secret Society. There is a well in the back yard, where in times of severe punishment, a person would be beheaded, their head, thrown down the well and then washed out to sea. Amazing History!
