ARTH344

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[vanmatret]

Discussion Question:

Irus Art is an example of how two countries in conflict can better understand each other through the art medium by overcoming political exaggerations, the media, and knowing individuals. 

In American society, what is being done to broaden individuals views of the world (i.e. Iranian culture) with out over generalizations and stereo types or bias prejudice? (especially with the advancements with technology and contemporary life)

Is there an efficient or effective way through art or some other medium to bridge the gap that is relevant to the majority?

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Collaborative art for countries in conflict. U.S. and Iran.

Wonderful video with many perspectives. This not only demonstrates how off base the United States can be about the middle east, by simply not understanding their culture. The middle east, also explained in the video, is taught to condone the United States for it’s culture. This project is great because it allows two cultures or group of people relate and learn about each other.This project also helped people who live in ‘separate worlds’ form a relationship that would seem unlikely.The best part is that they’re doing it through art! The Irus Art helped people respect each other’s differences and help get rid of stereotypes that may be present between two countries in conflict. The Your Night My Day project is currently helping people communicate, using Google translate, to learn each other’s language, encouraging to fill the gap of the two countries even more. 

[vanmatret]

Irus Art seems like a innovative use of collaborative art. Addressing the issue of overcoming political exaggerations of countries in opposition and cutting to the unbiased stories of the individuals in the community is tough considering the circumstances. In example, the Iranian youth singing songs about the evil american government.

How could art bridge two countries in conflict and provide empathy between individuals through different mediums? Opportunity of viewing each other as individuals and human beings. 

Intellectual points from america and Iranian people and their respective societies are the functionality of the works. Two sides two a story. Cultural ambassador's such as the presenter above are what makes this project possible. But the hardship of being an ambassador are waning, therefore the burden needs to be expanded. The expansion of this cultural awareness is done through art, providing a dialogue between two countries miles apart. 

Two teams. American and Iranian. Participatory art. Need of consistency to maintain dialogue between artist. Directed at language and miscommunication, depicting art to make better understanding. Collaborative activist art. Power in numbers, need more projects, raising awareness. 

[vanmatret]

T_ Visionarium II: The interactive project done by artist from the iCinema Center in Sydney. This project analyzes the overall affect of television for a common consumer. Broadcast clips from a single day in 2006 are shown on 30 different windows with in a giant cylindrical room. Viewing all the clips at once brings the viewer into the ‘televisual’ world. When the television medium is taken out of it’s normal context, the underlying structure of television can be recognized. Within this project, the viewer is given a remote to select any image, which either enlarges it and/or stops all the other windows from playing. Projects allows for viewer to be active in the satisfying the need to follow a single narrative based on the fundamental structure of television. 

[vanmatret]

  Ciclo De Arte Experimental

The cycle of experimental art was a series of ten actions. One action every 15 days. The artist group (Grupd de Artistas de Vanguardiia) was founded in Rosario, Argentina 1968. The Artistic Methods include: Reality and inhabitants as the material and substance of the work. Group was geared towards politicizing the viewers. Ideas for proposals were based on social forms, behaviors, and relationships.  The participatory art innovated collaborative events, utilizing public space, situationalist style breaking down the barrier between audience and performer.

For example, the final cycle occurred on October 7 1968. Graciela Carnevale’s work consisted of a bare emptied room, with one glass wall covered by posters. Within the room a happen-chance audience was locked indefinitely. With no way of escape from the imprisonment, the audience within was forced to participate. The unpredictability of the reaction of the audience was the focus of the work. This situational art forces audience to take action.

[vanmatret]

Wochenklausur is the Vienna Austria based art collective who has been working since 1993. The group of artist address community needs for specific moments in time, and are about empower the people to have do it your self notion.

  The group’s main constituents are 8 artists based out of Gumpendorfestrasses 20 Vienna.  Wochenklausur started as an exhibition at the Vienna Secession where the group was invited to solve the local problem to improve the living conditions for homeless people, and created a mobile clinic helping over 600 homeless per month.

  Wochenklausur literally means “weeks of closure” which denotes the concentrated closed working session. The group sets a precise tasks, works within limited time frame of eight weeks resulting quick intervention.

[vanmatret]

1. Explain 4 characteristic of Happenings, according to Allan Kaprow (e.g. what are they? what tends to occur? how are they different from traditional theater? how do they relate to traditional forms of visual art? how do they engage their audience?)

The ‘Neo-avant-garde’ art

Purpose and place in art for the Happening includes: an organic and natural performance embodying the spontaneity of life. “Happenings are events, that put simply, happen.”

Happening occur anywhere and everywhere, but often in “habitats”of everyday life, such as on the street or in a house or a public service building like a hospital.

With an open-ended form, which opposes tradition theatre, for the event encompasses an experience rather than making a literary point. Furthermore, the main medium in traditional plays is words, which is not the case for happenings.

They relate to visual forms of art for a happening, like a painter paints a picture of a tree in nature.

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All cultures practice the exchange of tokens that bear and carry meanings, communicate interest and count as personal and social transactions.

Adrian Chan (Art After Web 2.0)

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... many of our daily activities—-escpecially those involving communication among friends, or within activist groups, even occasions of transient affiliation—- resemble particatory artworks. In this sense, both art and everyday life are becoming more contemporary than ever before.

Terry Smith

[vanmatret]

The link above provides access to view projects done by the WochenKlausur artist group. The WochenKlausur works are contemporary proposals to improve sited communities and fix 'socio-political deficiencies'. For example, there projects address social political issues such as immigration, medical care, homelessness, and voting systems, and community development. Although there proposals are not on a large scale, there art is not just a creative outlet, it is also a 'intervention into society.'

[vanmatret]

1.    Crimp identifies the window installation at the New Museum in New York City as well as several video-based practices as offering valuable strategies for confronting the AIDS crisis. Explain 3 merits of such work, according to Crimp.

The poster of SILENCE=DEATH with the pink triangle representing Nazi persecution of gays and gay liberation in the 1960’s was made to raise awareness of AIDS, but at the same time it was a work of art made in the reaction to a crisis to make a difference. The group ACT UP produced a work called For the Record… in which the AIDS criminals were silhouetted and put on trial (with the Nuremberg trial mural in the back drop of the work) and in concrete the wrongful quotes of these people. For the president, the neon sign SILENCE=DEATH was placed and above that was a portion of running text presenting text raising awareness on the injustices and inactiveness by the government (silence). This project with the museum was able to reach more wealthy or better off people so they can consciously make an effort to find a solution to the crisis. The video basesd practices were able to reach more people because video and VCR’s was a widely spread medium.

[vanmatret]

The Announcement is an ESPN documentary on Majic Johnson announcing to the world he has the HIV virus. This video project is an extremely effective mechanism of raising AIDS awareness and a good example of the direct correlation between the medium and culture. The documentary follows Majic Johnson’s experience and how he made a conscious decision to make a difference while faced with the AIDS disease. For such an iconic figure to fall victim to this virus was a shock and wake up call for America. Due to the television medium his story was made known, which had a huge impact on changing the way people thought about the disease and its relevance. Mainly, showing that metro-sexual males or anyone can be affected by the crisis and to rally behind them to make a difference.

[vanmatret]

I found an exhibition in the contemporary art daily website where the artist Xavier Cha polarizes the work of Oscar Masatto's to Induce the Spirit of Image project.

Both put people on display, where as Masatto's project utilizes the close proximity to provoke emotion and explicit 'sadism', meaning there is a connection. There is an alienation between the onlooker and the performer when a screen is the medium. Emphasizes the disconnect in modern society. 

[vanmatret]

Cooled Consevatories at Gardens by the Bay. Willison Eyre Architects.

Gardens by the Bay are is series of large scale garden. 

This architectural marvel opened on June 29, 2012 in Singapore. Due to the advances in technology, the Mediterranian climate and vegetation are sustained in the 20,000 square meter structure within the tropical climate. 

Sustainability is a huge is issue in todays society, and the collaboration of engineers making this garden presents there is a solution. 

[vanmatret]

Augusto Boal is an artist from South America who orchestrated projects in the 1970s promoting political forum and stand against oppression. In example, the 'invisible theatre' had actors sit in an expensive restuarant and order the most expensive meal on the menu and then tell the waiter/owners they have no means to pay for it except labor. Even recently, Boal has became a elected legislature in Rio de Janeiro Brazil and still making a difference!

[vanmatret]

The novel about a young African-Americans self discovery was a revolutionary way of thinking "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison in 1952. With all the new mediums of art, literature is a viable medium that is even now still being perpetuated as a play in Boston.

[vanmatret]

The ABC's of DADA provides insight about the post WWI artistic revolution.

[cnashhascall]

Explain characteristics of Happenings, according to Allan Kaprow (e.g. what are they? what tends to occur? how are they different from traditional theater? how do they relate to traditional forms of visual art? how do they engage their audience?)

Happenings are something occurring to...

[vanmatret]

I liked the points made about "Happenings" and thought to add some thoughts:

Happenings occur in the stage of the natural 'habitat' of life such as street, or a small apartment room

Happenings embody chance and spontaneity