[-empyre-] vigilar y castigar

[Cynthia Beth Rubin]

Greetings - 

Thanks to Davin for this post. It is inspirational to think that if we work together we can challenge the status quo, and I want to believe.  

We are in a transitional time.  Navigating the mine-field of "resistance to the system" is a difficult under-taking, as any innovation is viewed through the lens of the familiar. In my experience, however, when offered the opportunity to participate in something truly meaningful, something that truly operates outside of the art world, significant numbers of artists will embrace the opportunity. That the same individuals might also jump at the chance to show in a high profile commercial setting is an indication of the complexity of the situation, because if no one knows who you are or ever sees your work, how meaningful is your resistance?  

As for my previous comment about medium, apologies if my typo added a layer of confusion.  I meant to write "no longer relevant"  (not "now') as in:

> now that everything is "digital" the need to push artists to define themselves as tied to a specific medium is no longer relevant, as anyone who is computer literate can move from  video to still image print to 3D output.  What counts is the idea, the research behind the work, the concept...

What this means is that artistic conception is not as tied to the process of a technical craft as it once was. In recent history, moving from the technical skill set of paint-on-canvas to the skill set of bronze casting was more daunting than the current situation of moving from  digital "paint" to digital 3D model building.  Historically, of course, there was a time when artists had ateliers with skilled assistants, and therefore were perhaps similarly freed to experiment beyond their own technical expertise.  In our era, however, we are just returning to that point of working with artisanal collaborators, and the software in our computers functions as one form of collaboration. Once we cross the threshold of basic computer literacy we know that with a little patience with own learning curve, we can do almost anything (as far as technical skill goes) and find an on-line community or other resource to help us figure out what we need to know. 

Cynthia


Cynthia B Rubin
http://CBRubin.net