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| Citrasolv soaking bottles... |
The day started with donuts (thanks to Professor Paul Ryan) and a somewhat lively discussion of the last chapter of Suzi Gablik's The Re-enchantment of Art. I think Suzi Gablik would be pleased at the impression her text made on the class. Everyone seemed to agree that art is far better when it is engaged and engaging with others...
And then, what should be the last day of cleaning commenced. We did it in the relative dark as the buzzing lights give us no mercy. Scrubbing, scraping, sanding, soaking and cursing a bit the students rolled up their sleeves and muscled through.
Trash is dirty, dark, unloved. We have this opportunity to make it clean, full of light and give it love so that it is not what it was. Thoughtfully considering what is still great about these objects - focusing on that... What is it about this big blue object that compelled this student to spend hours cleaning it?
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| Big blue mysterious object courtesy of Lewis Creek. |
Cleaning debris allows us to be seduced by debris - it slows us down to see hidden potential in a profound way. By paying very focused attention to the way your trash behaves when you clean it you become intimate with it (perhaps frustrated that it doesn't want to bend to your whim) but you persevere. What is the option? Art doesn't make itself. Aurora Robson won't just give out As. Giving up is likely the most boring thing a person can do and the easiest route is usually one that has been widely traveled and all the fruit from the trees has already been picked there... get out the sickle and hack away at the thorns. That is how you create and find your path.
So. Instead of giving up, you become informed about how your material will respond. The dance (or battle) of making a work of art begins. You start to see and respect the limitations of your material. Does it release dirt particles better with this brush or that? Is it brittle or flexible? Does light pass through it? Is it strong or flimsy? Are the murmurings of grace hiding beneath its surface waiting for you to eliminate excess so it can reveal itself? Get to the core of what works with your debris, free it from whatever ails it. Remove the excess. Trim the fat. Get to the point. Make a point. Think about why you want to make what you want to make. Be kind and honest with yourself.
Once you've discovered what the best things are about this piece of debris, figure out how can you highlight those positive attributes in order for them serve your vision of what you think needs to exist in this world. Anything you chose to create - as long as you do it with honesty and intention, will be better than pollution --- but will it be art?
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| Mysterious plastic object from Lewis Creek. |
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| Lewis Creek PVC pipe getting a bath. |
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| Metal from the creek with river barnacles of glass + mud glue. |
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| Clean river debris awaiting its fate. |
the tapping film was very informative. I learned a lot about the cleanliness behind the making of water bottles and recycling them. after watching this film, I still felt the same about drinking from a bottle because I have already knew about the issues dealing with them.
ReplyDeleteI could not believe how easy it was for nestle to just come to Mane and take their water. The fact that they took water from the towns-people for a whole day is ridiculous. I hate that its so easy for them to just take the water, and not let the community know! And on top of that they are helping pollute the water on top of it. In the video a woman said that their water system was in danger, and that means that Nestle was dangerously close to permanently polluting their water. It's hard to believe how even start up companies can just come in and take over a community. I couldn't believe it when they found pieces of water bottle in those fish. I'm glad I watched this documentary, it really shed some light on how bad plastic bottles really are.
ReplyDeleteThe big blue object is from the little tikes company 1984 :o ! I discover that when I cleaned the sides. Part of a playground maybe!
ReplyDeletethe Story of Stuff was a really informative film. I knew most of what it covered, but it put it in a different perspective, like the vicious consumer cycle that has taken over most people's lives. It made me realize just how powerful consumerism is. If we all stopped buying as much useless stuff as we do now, and start investing in reusable, permanent things instead, it would help so much! We need to give less power to the money-hungry corporations. This film really put things in a better perspective.
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