Re: [-empyre-] Do You Still Your Own Reality?

[Brett Stalbaum <stalbaum@ucsd.edu>]

So, you hold that most successful (socially critical) art practice 
depends upon existing culturally iconic visual memes? As if parasites to 
a host? This would seem to fit the culture jamming model - artists 
playing with the semiotics of any particular cultural moment to insert 
alternative messages - or better to make cultural meaning systems work 
in ways they were never intended to work. But it does certainly depend 
on a "market" system, and the market sustainability/ubiquity of memes to 
attach to, write over, break, or simulate - (for example, a simulated 
government agency for art and technology.)

I guess the question I am trying to imply, (in my original questions to 
Randall), is whether such strategies are spent now? (Or temporarily 
disabled, perhaps, by a runaway and/or cowardly news media + US 
Administration creating their own realities for us to think about. The 
Bush administration might get me to believe in Baudrillard again.)

Possibly it is more important (Speaking only for my country, the USA) to 
generate tools for experiencing something other than a message, 
argument, or a conceptual provocation. Not that anyone today (especially 
myself) knows for sure what that might be... if indeed it is even one 
thing and not many.

Jeff Gates wrote:
> What I am saying, Brett, is that when a visual is iconic within a culture 
> (and by that I mean easily identifiable by people) it because easier for 
> artists to use that image for their own social critiques.
>
> I don't see this as handing the market a free ride. 
>
> Jeff 
>
> On Tue, 19 Oct 2004, Brett Stalbaum wrote:
>
>
> > Do these ipod examples fit the idea of jamming "any such (nearly 
> > psychotic) right-wing reality distortions (using them as art supplies 
> > and comic fodder - seemingly easy to do)", or are they in some sense an 
> > analytic tools; the skinning of an ipod helping people situate their 
> > readings of the real in a manner more congruent with the real?
> >
> > Or are you proposing another model, where "successful art practice in 
> > this regards happens when the work becomes 'iconic' in the culture"? You 
> > may indeed be proposing this, and if so, I would like to point out that 
> > this is the market-finding-its-own-best-solution model; further that one 
> > of the major fantasies of the neo-conservative today is that the 
> > "invisible hand of the market place" is worthy of the same faith, 
> > reverence and deference as their God. Jesus rules, and Fox News rules. 
> > Reskin that.
> >
> > Jeff Gates wrote:
> >
> >
> > > Brett, the most successful art practice in this regards happens when the
> > > work becomes "iconic" in the culture. And then, when it is reskinned by
> > > others after that. While this is not non-commercial art, the reskinning of
> > > Apple's iPod ads using an Abu Gareb silhouette is one example. Then moving
> > > on to this: http://www.happygolarry.com/2004/10/13/bulge
> > >
> > > Jeff
>
> ..................................................
> Jeff Gates
> Outtacontext.com
>
> Life Outtacontext: Farm Fresh Writing at a Fraction of the Cost!
> http://life.outtacontext.com
>
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--
Brett Stalbaum
Lecturer, psoe
Coordinator, ICAM
Department of Visual Arts, mail code 0084
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gillman
La Jolla CA 92093