[-empyre-] The Art of Dying or (Palliative Art Making in the Age of Anxiety).

[Renate Ferro]

Thanks Joanna for joining me this week to kick off our April discussion, 
“Between the Body, Memory, Screen and Culture” this week.  I just took a second look at the link that you sent Joanna a couple of days ago of Barbara Hammer’s performance lecture at the Whitney Museum last October 10th, The Art of Dying or (Palliative Art Making in the Age of Anxiety).  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMeoAx9dZkI

As I understand the lecture was first performed at Temple University and later at Tyler School of Art, Yale University, and the final iteration last October. Barbara bravely asks the question, “Can we address dying through art?”  She questions why artists, curators, and others involved in the arts have such a difficult time acknowledging health, illness, death, and dying.  She says, “The art of dying is just like the art of living” and cautions artists not to be distracted by “ the sugar coated trappings of success.” 

Her personal pleas along side of various screenings of her work implore us how not to become distracted from our personal creativity. Showing some of early films as well as some of her most recent installations on sickness she shares that intuition, pleasure, sensation, intelligence and emotion have guided her through much of her creative process. 

I hope you will all watch it and share it with others. Thanks Joanna for joining us this week.  If you can, please stay on this week and chime in if your schedule allows.  Best. Renate


Renate Ferro
Visiting Associate Professor
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Art
Tjaden Hall 306
rferro at cornell.edu
 
 

On 4/6/19, 4:08 PM, "empyre-bounces at lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au on behalf of Renate Ferro" <empyre-bounces at lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au on behalf of rferro at cornell.edu> wrote:

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    Hello Joanna, 
    I am so sorry that this email got hung up in our moderation system.  I have been in New York City over the past two days and did not realize that it was lost in the system.  But alas thanks for sending us this additional information about how to access Barbara’s work. 
    Here is the website that gives information on her memorial service: 
    http://barbarahammer.com/
    The Home Page lists detailed info. 
    
    We have a day left before we introduce Week 2 which we will try to again keep pretty flexible in hopes that our subscribers will post bio information, links to work and personal narratives about these four artists: Barbara Hammer, Carlee Schneeman, Grace Quantanilla, and Agnes Varna.  Also a bit about how these artists have influenced production, writing, ideas. 
    
    As I noted earlier it appears there are editions and artist’s proofs that Barbara created of much of her video work.  As you said the digital work is also being disseminated by EAI (Electronic Arts Intermix) in New York.  Additionally, on her personal website work can be purchased. 
    
    How does that National Gallery handle the acquisition of moving images?  Do they have a collection?  Next week Tim Murray will be our guest.  Tim is the curator and founder of the Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art.  The Archive has acquired a body of work given by artists but also collected by the curator, consisting of the works themselves but also supporting papers and documents.  The Goldsen Archive is an open archive housed the the library at Cornell where researchers and others can make an appointment to study and browse the contents of the archive. This is so different that a museum or gallery collection. 
    
    I am curious what your own views on archiving an artist’s work are?  That’s a general question of course.  I would love to hear from artists as well as to how they envision their work being archived for posterity?  
    
    Will follow up in a few hours but for now I was fleetingly thinking about the art of archiving. Best.  Renate 
    
    
    Joanna Raczynska <raczynska.joanna at gmail.com>
    Thu, Apr 4, 2:15 PM (1 day ago)
    to soft_skinned_space
    good evening,
    
    following up on Renate's question regarding Barbara's limited editions:
    sadly, no the National Gallery of Art does not own any of Barbara's work
    (in any format).
    We borrow film materials for our cinema program from the Academy, and have
    in the past worked directly with Barbara on accessing her digital files for
    screenings. We will continue to work with EAI (Electronic Arts Intermix) in
    NYC for access to her files and videos from now on.
    
    Company Gallery holds many of Barbara's photographs and KOW Berlin
    apparently has much more of Barbara's sculpture and paintings. With thanks
    to curator and archivist Carmel Curtis for confirming this information.
    
    I hope to see some of you (all who can make it) at the celebration of
    Barbara's life in NYC on April 21, 5 pm at Abron's Art Center, lower east
    side.
    
    -- 
    Joanna Raczynska
    raczynska.joanna at gmail.com
    
    Renate Ferro
    Visiting Associate Professor
    Director of Undergraduate Studies
    Department of Art
    Tjaden Hall 306
    rferro at cornell.edu
     
     
    
    On 4/6/19, 3:53 PM, "empyre-bounces at lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au on behalf of Joanna Raczynska" <empyre-bounces at lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au on behalf of raczynska.joanna at gmail.com> wrote:
    
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