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February, 2003:
when saving becomes art
Seen in the right light, from the proper angle, anything can be
viewed as art. Over thirty years ago my brother and I played with
the idea of placing frames around the light fixtures and electric
sockets of the museum - a rather sophomoric attempt at guerrilla
art which I trust had been done before then, and has undoubtedly
been done many times since. The idea was to bring to the attention
of the art consumer that art was what we looked upon as art.
But when does a mess become art? Is the pattern of dirt that gets
tracked onto the carpet something to be reflectively observed, or
simply something that should be vacuumed? Do cobwebs in the corners
of the ceiling have aesthetic value, or are they just dirt? When
I let my mess accumulate, are my musings on this subject little
more than an excuse for not cleaning up?
The answer is probably yes, but even knowing that answer
doesn't mean that I don't still entertain these thoughts every so
often, or even more often than not. I offer, then, two examples.
One almost ancient, the other very recent. Both of them might be
considered non-interventionist art - letting things take their course
... until common sense overrides aesthetic principles.
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