Questions

Questions

1.    1.   Looking back on all of the artists we have looked at and discussed throughout the course of this class do you think that art does have an impact on the world?  One of the first discussions we had was regarding The Shock of the New video and how the art created during the war had an impact on the society and how people may have viewed the war.  After looking at all of the other artists and their many different pieces created it makes me think that maybe art does have an impact on the world because art does in fact have an impact on other artists ideas, and movements of art though different generations.  The way we look at art may have an impact on how we view the world in different ways.

  

2.     2.  A big part of this class was a project we did which took a text and translated, flipped it around, twisted the words up and maybe even used the N+7 method to create an entirely new text to read.  Another project we did related a little bit to this method in that we had to use one simple text and create new stories from it based on different interpretations, perspectives, and languages.  In what ways do these projects relate to one another?  How does the ability to interpret these simple texts in multiple different ways help us to analyze it better?  Doing these projects really opened my eyes to think about all the different styles of writing, and the different ways to create and read a simple poem or story.  We may read a poem one way and it may mean something, but then once its changed and things are added or taken out, it could mean a whole different idea.   

3.    3.   Compare some aspects from the story The Hearing Trumpet to some aspects of The Story of Morel.  What similarities and differences do you see between how the stories are written, the language used, the descriptions of setting, and events etc?  In The Hearing Trumpet the book was much of a dream like state and things seemed very magical and surreal.  I also got this feeling a little bit when reading the Morel book because of the way the main character describes things, but most importantly because of the state of mind he was in.  Another similarity I can make is the description on the bungalows that Marion lived in at the nursing home, and the descriptions of the museum in Morel.  The museum and nursing home can also be compared.  

Reading for Pain and Pleasure

The reading Poetry and Pleasure by Mac Low interested me the most because it really made me think about the literature, poems, and articles that I read and why I read them.  There are many different types of genres I like to read.  Poetry interests me when I can just read it to enjoy it, however when I have to analyze it that’s when I start to hate it.  Reading books for fun is more of what I enjoy doing with my free time.  I enjoy mystery, and fiction the most.  The point that Mac Low points out is that “artworks do make things happen, at the very least, pleasure and pain, and the kinds of pleasures and pains they may cause are hardly ever predictable” (Mac Low). 

            This made me think about the texts that I read and my reactions to things that happen.  Did I like the book because of the way it was written and the plot line so much that if it was written differently, or events altered then I would not like the book?  Or did I like the book because it was predicable and if I were the author I would have written it the same way?  These are the questions that come to mind when faced with the aspect of predictability of the reader, and the reaction to the text. 

            Usually when I start reading a book or any text for that matter I find myself forming my own thoughts or predictions of what I think will happen or what I think about the book almost immediately.  This is not always the best thing to do because then if the book doesn’t turn out the way I wanted it to I am left feeling left down and betrayed by the author resulting in disliking the book.  The way the book is written in the aspect of pain and pleasure also has a large effect on liking the book or not.  For example the book My Sisters Keeper is a perfect example of a book filled almost entirely with sorrow and pain, although it’s a touching story that doesn’t leave the reader depressed the whole time.  On the other hand poetry that I read for fun because its heart warming and silly is Shell Silverstein’s book Where The Sidewalk Ends.  As readers we read for pleasure, not that everything we read will make us feel that way but as long as the book is something we enjoy then its worth the pain and pleasure to read it.   

Fluxus Movement

Fluxus takes on a do-it-yourself type role that used simplicity over complexity. Like Dada before it, Fluxus included anti-commercialism and an anti art sensibility, disparaging the conventional market-driven art world in favor of an artist-centered creative practice. Fluxus differed from Dada in its richer set of aspirations, and the positive social and communitarian aspirations. 

In terms of an artistic approach, Fluxus artists preferred to work with whatever materials were at hand, and either created their own work or collaborated in the creation process with their colleagues.  For example in the Film about Ray Johnson we see that some of his art pieces have a three dimensional element by using cut out blocks or wood pieces and applying them in with the painting.    

Fluxus uses media in its pieces.  Creators like to see what happens when different media intersect. They use found and everyday objects, sounds, images, and texts to create new combinations of objects, sounds, images, and texts.  This is an example of the tactile box that was used by Fluxus contributors where there is a box filled with games, cards and other ideas and whoever has the box can use it in him or her own way.  This leads to the different interpretations that each person will have when using the box. 

Fluxus works are simple. The art is small, the texts are short, and the performances are brief which leads to much more open interpretation from the viewer.  Some of the films we watched in class were short and just showed short clips or flashes of certain things on the screen.  When I was watching some of the clips I had to think about what I was watching because there doesn’t seem to be a direct theme to relate about what’s going on, or what is the point, if there even is a point?    


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluxus

Surrealism versus Oulipo

            After reading many of the works done by surrealist artists and Oulipo artists I am torn between which one I like the most because I have never read any of these works and so this is a new form of writing that I am still getting used to and working on interpreting.  When reading the book If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler I saw parts of it that were similar to the story Locus Solus because of the fact that there were story upon story upon story that made up one big story.  For me they both were hard to follow because I am used to reading more direct texts that have a major plot line and tell one main story, and with these I just couldn’t keep my focus on everything that was going on within the stories.     

            One aspect of the Oulipo that I really think is neat is the idea about limitations and writing the same story multiple times using different perspectives or settings, but all in all it is the same story.  I have never thought to write like this before, and I really enjoyed reading the stories by Queaneu.  This is one main difference between surrealism writing and the Oulipo writing.  This may sound like an oxymoron but using limitations makes me expand my creativity because I am limited in what I can use to write and therefore have to push myself as a writer. 

            The last difference between the two is that Oulipo incorporates the use of metafiction by directly addressing the reader.  The use of second person narration has an exceptional way of drawing in the reader (me or you), so that the reader begins to feel apart of the story, like the story was happening to me.  This is one aspect that greatly differs from surrealism.  I guess for me its easier for me to identify what the surrealist artwork/picture forms that we have looked at because then I the viewer can visually see the paintings and drawings and take in the ideas of surrealism.  On the other hand when reading the Oulipo works I have to spend some more time really reading the stories so I am aware of all the characters that are connected and how the stories relate to one another.        

Exercises in style

Bus Ride Home

Every Thursday evening I stand at the bus stop waiting for the 62 to 124^th Street to come pick me up and take me back home.  Its raining outside and my new jacket is getting wet because I forgot to being my umbrella today.  Boy is it windy out too; not only is my hair completely a mess, but it’s starting to get all frizzy and curly, which happens every time it rains.  5:28 and the bus arrives, on time today, thank goodness!  Door opens and I step inside, show the bus driver my ID and proceed to the back left side of the bus to find an open seat.  Due to the time of evening no open seats are left so I choose a seat next to this older women with grey, clearly permed hair, large glasses and a peacock broach on her sweater.  The next twenty minutes I spend reading my current read, which is Ninteen Minutes by Jody Piccoult.  The climax of the book is really pulling me in that I hardly notice the older lady getting up to leave mumbling “excuse me ma’am I am getting off here.”  I move aside and watch her walk off the bus and down the sidewalk.  I wonder where she is going, but wherever it is she it may take her a while, especially with that limp she has.  I wonder what happened to cause her limp, was she born that way, or did she fall?  I have an Aunt who fell and broke her hip so maybe that is what happened to her.  I glance down to the current page number and notice I am on page 422, which means only 33 more pages to go so I climb back into the text and finish the rest of my bus ride home.    

Older Women’s Ride Next to Me

 

Today was a very long day.  I awoke at 5:45 am to my face being licked by my cat Pearl.  She is a sweet little thing, and I enjoy her company, though not at 5:20 in the morning per say.  When I was a young girl I used to love sleeping in till ten or eleven in the morning but those days are over and for the past 10 years or so its rise and shine around five, six if I am lucky.  I blame my age and restlessness, at 75 years old I am pretty mobile, except for my darn limp.  I was eighteen years old when I broke my leg, well shattered it actually.  They had to put in a metal rod with all these pins in order to put my leg back together.  With eight kids and bills to pay my parents couldn’t afford to put me through physical therapy.  So I did the therapy the doctors told me to do, but needless to say it didn’t pay off and so here I am limping around.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not the kind of women to feel bad for myself.  I actually look at my limp as a unique attribute to who I am.  Besides, I get special treatment with handicap parking spots.  Things need to be done around the house today, baking, dishes, some grocery stopping, which reminds me I need to also stop at the bank on my way to the store.  I walk into the kitchen and look at the bus schedule.  The bank closes at six, and the bus ride there, plus my walking to the bank takes about 20 minutes and if the bus comes at 5:20pm then I will need to be at the bus stop around 5:15. Perfect I have my day all planned out, now its time to bake some of my homemade oatmeal cookies. 

…… 5:15pm

Walking out to the bus stop I notice how windy it is.  I didn’t plan for the wind with neither a scarf or gloves with me.  Winter is coming and I am not looking forward to it this year.  At the bus stop I notice a few others waiting, Sandra my neighbor, Bill her husband, and Chuck the war veteran.  We wave to each other and mention how windy it is.  The bus arrives at 5:20 and we enter one at a time.  I notice two seats open on the left and immediately take one, since I cannot stand for very long with my leg.  Once everyone is on the bus takes off.  I enjoy riding the bus because I get to see all the different people going to and from, some happy, some rude, and some just plain loud blasting that ipod music.  The next stop picks up a bunch of young students from school.  A young girl sits down beside me and I immediately smell her fresh perfume, or maybe it’s the scent of her hair from the products she puts in it to make it look nice.  I wish my hair still had the same brown color I used to have, but now its turning very grey.  I want to ask her what year in school she is and what she is studying, but she takes out a book right away and begins to read.  I try to see the title of the book, but cannot see that either.  My stop is coming up soon.  I pull the stop requested chord.  The girl doesn’t seem to notice I have to leave, which must mean she is really into her book. I wonder what the book I about?  I start to get up to leave and the girl doesn’t move.  “Excuse me ma’am I am getting off here.” I say to her, and she politely moves aside.  I wonder if she or anyone else on the bus noticed my limp, but I am sure they did because it’s not very easy to hide.  I begin my walk to the bank which is only two blocks away and then I will go to the grocery store to get milk, fruit, and some pasta.           

Hearing Trumpet Idea of Magic

             This week I am discussing the book we read entitled The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington.  This book was very different to read because of the way that Carrington narrates the book.  Her language seems very dreamlike and the why in which she describes things reminds of me talking to my grandma, which makes sense because the main character Marian is really old.  One of my favorite parts of the book is when Marian arrives at her new home- what the reader would think of as a nursing home.  However it’s much different than the usual nursing homes we would think of today.  That’s where the element of magic and make believe come into play.  The bungalows where the ladies stay are each a different shape. Within its high walls, "the main building was in fact a castle, surrounded by various pavilions with incongruous shapes. Pixielike dwellings shaped like toadstools, Swiss chalets, railway carriages, one or two ordinary bungalows, something shaped like a boot, another like what I took to be an outsize mummy."  Marian’s bungalow specifically is a lighthouse shaped tower.  There was little furniture in the room because most of it was painted onto the wall.  Therefore creating a one-dimensional living space.  This part of the book really shows the imagination of Carrington when creating this scene.  

            My response to this book was that it’s a very different read and at times I had a hard time following what was going on and if it was reality or fairytale.  Another aspect I noticed was that this book is not a chapter book; rather it is formed into one gigantic long story.  This form makes it a little bit harder to read because everything is condensed together instead of splitting it up into sections.  As a reader the magic element helped me to see the book as a fun read, and not a deep dark heavy read.  I think it creates a little bit of a fairytale for the reader because of her use of magic and imagination.              

Young Girls Desire

            Dark Spring by Unica Zurn has some very interesting themes that deal with surrealism, most specifically desire.  The young girl in the book wants to feel desired not only by her family, but also by other men.  This is weird because she is only 12 years old and already wants to feel desired by older men.  The reason for this is because she is neglected as a child and has no love by her parents or her brother.  She sees her father with other women, along with he mother with other men, and therefore knows that desire between a man and a woman exists and she wants to feel that for herself.

            Lonely and hurt, she then indulges in a world of sexual and masochistic fantasies, masturbating and discovering the pleasures of her own body as a means of coping with the pain of feeling unloved and insignificant. At one point in the narrative she dreams of being kidnapped by a group of “dark men” and tied to a black slab of marble, where she is subsequently gang-raped, her throat cut at the moment of sexual climax. She indulges in such fantasies throughout the work but continually acknowledges that imagined sensual pleasure does little, if anything, to fill her emotional vacancy: “She searches for something that would really complete her and she cannot find it. everything is false.”

            The young girl is trying to fulfill her desire with sexual pleasure, however this doesn’t give her the full desire everyone needs in life, which is to be loved. She is still empty inside and believes it’s her purpose to find something that will fill her up and complete her.  She finds that what completes her is her fantasy and love of the older man she sees at the pool.  By going to talk to him she is fulfilling her desire to meet him and have him give her attention.  Attention is her ultimate desire.  She feels complete that she was able to interact with someone she desires, unlike her father who she desired but he ignored her. 

            Another more unfortunate desire of hers is at the end of the novel when she wants to end her life.  It’s interesting because she is happy and feels complete after leaving the mans home, but then after finding out she can never go there again, or even out in the world again as he punishment, she immediately forgets her happiness and goes right into contemplating her death.  She doesn’t have it in her anymore to fight the battle of being lonely and undesired. 

           

            This book was enjoyable to read, and was very different from any book I have read before.  There are many more elements to this book that can be looked at as well.  

Rene Magritte

The artist I chose to write about this week is Rene Magritte.   I have not had the privilege of viewing his art before talking about him in class this past week.  His paintings are very unique because he uses the idea of illusion in his work. As someone viewing the painting questions come into mind such as, what part of the painting is actually real and which part is just an illusion?  Where does the illusion begin and end?

            Another part of Magritte’s artwork that is hard for me to explain because I don’t want to make it sound like his work is random, but in some of his paintings such as The Son of Man, and La Chateau des Pyrenees, the objects put into the painting really do seem random.  Like why is that even there? Or What was he thinking when making this? 

 One picture that I picked to analyze is the picture called La Seize Septembre.  The reason I picked this painting is because it’s simple but yet it shows illusion.  Clearly this picture is representing nighttime however what is interesting about it is the position of the moon.  If we were actually standing in front of this tree looking at it we would be seeing the moon through the branches of the tree, and we would only see parts of the moon because the branches would be in the way of the full view.  However Magritte decides to place the moon in the top middle of the tree.  The illusion in this picture is the placement of the moon.  Clearly we would not be able to see the moon that perfectly unless there was some sort of hole in the tree.   

            One other painting of Magritte’s that I really like is Le Blanc-Seing.  This picture is a much more complex version of illusion.  The horse is seen walking through the woods however we all know a horse and person cannot walk through a tree so one would think to go around the tree.  However Magritte paints the picture of the horse and rider as if they are one with the tree.  Another way to look at it is to see the horse emerging or sneaking out from the forest/trees because there is a gap that connects the horses head and front part to the rest of its body. Looking at this photo just makes me want to sit and figure out how he drew this and to figure out the allusion because there are so many ways to look into this painting.     

     

Dada Poem Revisions

Sensitive Tom to the Tickle 

She has heard the attack Sensitive Tom to the tickle? 

 It was done the tickle from its mommy. 

 giggled, agitated, and is fallen on the floor,

the right hand Laughed and rolled outside rollin’

For all of the journey towards the school

and then it was done the tickle to friends

Laughed until it fell from its stool,

Down the staircases and finally stopped

Until was done the tickle from a policeman. 

And all the more than one held the gigglin',

everybody more held the ticklin'.

It screamed and it screamed and it rolled around,

its right hand of manner Laughed outside

Across the country and was done the tickle from a toad. 

After the mountains across the plain,  

Giggling, rolling on the track of railroad. 

The rumbling, the whistle, the rumbling

roars the laugh of Tom' sensitive to the tickle.

Pierre Reverdy

I chose to research poet Pierre Reverdy because I have never heard of him before and am curious as to his style of writing.  After reading various poems one thing that struck me the most that that his poems didn't rhyme at all, and instead they told kind of a story and were easy to read and interpret.  The language that he uses in his poems is simple and easy to read, but at the same time is very visual so as I am reading I can picture the scene on my mind.

Another aspect of the poems I read by Pierre is the perception that the poems are not happy poems, rather they carry a serious, dark tone in which the reader has to be able to relate to in their own way.  The setting and themes of the poems tend to be centered around night time, and take place at a house or building.  I am curious to know why he write this way when the setting could be anywhere, or during the daytime where there is much more activity than at night.  His tone is also a little bit depressed and maybe he is a lonely man because his writings reflect a sort of lonesome feeling where even though he is surrounded by nature and sounds, they don't seem to mean anything to him.  This poem shows this:

NOMADThe door that won't open
The faded hand
Beside a broken glass
The lamp smokes
The sparks start fires
The sky is blacker
From the roof
Some animals
Without their shadows

A look
A somber stain

The house where no one comes  


Or this one as well:



THE SOUND OF THE BELL

All grows quiet
The wind passes singing about it
And the trees shiver
The animals are dead
There is no longer anyone
Look
The stars have stopped shining
The world no longer turns
A head is bowed
Hair sweeps across the night
The last bell that remains standing
Rings midnight

As you can see these poems are very descriptive but also very solemn and depressing.   In a biography of Pierre written on the Poetry Foundation Website, it states this about Pierre's writting: "the surrealists praised Reverdy as the greatest living poet. His poems were short and fragmentary with a sharp visual appearance which was compatible with the cubist feel for plastic values. The loneliness and spiritual apprehension which ran through his poetry attracted the surrealists" (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/pierre-reverdy).  This is how other readers and writers viewed and reacted to Pierre's work, which shows how influential he was during the surrealist movement.  

Dada Poems

This is my personal favorite poem that I created by looking at my bookshelf and simply writing down the titles of the books going from left to right and then wrote them down in this order.  

Dear Everybody,

We’ll meet again on the last good day.

Stones from the river, it had to be you.

Heart of glass me and Emma,

Prep, don’t you forget about me floating in my mother’s palm,

Sealed with a diss,

Beloved

This next selection is actually a children's song that I used to sing growing up.  Its about seeing a moon on a midnight night and also about the moon not only shining on me, but also shining on the one I love too. I put it in a translator and then pulled it back and and rearranged some of the words.    

I believe that Moon

I believe that moon, the moon sees me,

Down via leaves old oak tree,

Please of to leave the light that shines on me,

To shine on the one branch.

Upon the mount, over the sea,

It was there my heart is very much alike,

Please, call me light, shine on me,

Therefore that I love.

This next poem is a selection from the Shel Silverstein poet and I used the N+7 method of changing up the lines.  

Hullabaloo O'War

I will not play at tun o' warehouse.

I'd rather play at humbug o' warehouse,

Where everyone hummingbirds

Instead of turbans,

Where everyone giraffes

And romps on the ruling,

Where everyone kittens,

And everyone grits,

And everyone culls,

And everyone scowls.

This last poem is also from Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends" book of poems and I took the original poem and translated it and then reformed the sentences.  Its a goofy poem because the original poem is also goofy. 

Sensitive Tom to the Tickle

She has heard the attack Sensitive Tom to the tickle? 

It was done the tickle from its mommy. 

And giggled, it is agitated, and is fallen on the floor,

the right hand Laughed and rolled outside from the door. 

For all of the journey towards the school

and then it was done the tickle from its friends. 

Laughed until it fell from its stool,

the right hand Laughed and rolled outside from of school

Down the staircases and finally stopped

Until was done the tickle from a policeman. 

And all the more than one held the gigglin',

everybody more held the ticklin'.

It screamed and it screamed and it rolled around,

its right hand of manner Laughed outside from town. 

Across the country down the road, was done the tickle from a toad. 

After the mountains across the plain,  

Giggling, rolling on its back that rolled on the track of railroad. 

The rumbling, the rumbling, the whistle,

roars the train of Tom' sensitive to the tickle more.

Cotton In Your Ears

The Text I am making reference to is called Cotton In Your Ears by Guillaume Apollinaire.    

            So many explosives about to be ALIVE

            Write a single word if you dare,

            The points of impact in my soul continually at war,

            Your fierce flock spits out fire,

            OMEGAphone.

This poem is written as a Calligramme, which means it has a distinct shape.  The way I look at the poem, I am seeing what is portrayed as a large microphone in which the lines are being spilled and yelled out of the microphone for others to hear.  In reading this short poem many things came to mind and I looked at this poem as a child, young adult, or someone who doesn’t seem able to find their voice and stick up for themselves and are reacting to the bullying or harassment.  The ‘explosives about to be alive’ can be seen as the words that are said to hurt feelings and make fun of someone.  Even though they are just words, them come ALIVE and seem more than just words to the victim.

            ‘The points of impact in my soul continually at war’ means that with every hurtful word or action done someone is hurt from it not only on the outside, but also on the inside.  The war inside their soul means that there is a constant struggle with acceptance of who they are and what everyone else thinks about them.  The constant struggle is a war between themselves and everyone else.  ‘Your fierce flock spits out fire’, which symbolizes the bully and all his followers who spit out fire, which symbolize the words of hatred.  The last verse ‘omegaphone’ symbolizes that the words said to a person with the intent to hurt echo in their ears and seem to be as loud as ever.  Its almost as if the bully is talking into a megaphone and every word is maximized to the loudest level possible.  These words just keep playing over and over in the victim’s head.

            Now I am thinking about the title and how it relates to my interpretation of the poem.  Some people may have thought back then that putting cotton in your ears will drowned out the sounds or loud music, or people snoring so that it is not so loud to listen to.  Since ear plugs were not invented yet cotton would suffice.  People who do not want to hear things will put cotton in their ears to block out the sound.  This is just my interpretation of the possible explanation or intake of this particular poem.  At the time it was written Apollinaire may not have intended it to come across this way but this is the way that I read it and viewed it.       

Art Impact on the World

After viewing the documentary, Shock Of The New, I do think that art can be subversive and have a direct impact on the world.  My first thought was thinking about the posters and handouts that were created during World War I.  These posters depict that going to fight for your country is the noble and right thing to do, however the posters don't show any depiction of what the war will be like and the hell that these men will experience.  These posters also have another indirect impact on the women because as we all know when the men left to go to war the women took over the jobs working in the factories.  These posters create a sense of stability and happiness back home for the women.  When I think about it more and more the posters pertaining to the war are created not to inform people about the horrors and all the people dying in the war, but to make it seem like the war is a good thing and families will be waiting for their sons, and husbands to return home safe and sound.

With that being said art does have a direct impact on the people that view it, especially if people are constantly seeing it day after day.  If the posters were to have a different picture, say a graphic of all the dead soldiers, or families devastated by the loss of a loved one, then the perspectives and attitudes about the war would change drastically.  The atmosphere would also change because families would be anxious and worried about their loved ones surviving the war.

This is the first time I have ever been introduced to Dada and I am very interested in his works because he is so untraditional compared to other writer's works I have read.  I would say Dada was not a follower, rather he was his own leader and instead of doing works like other artists, he created his own works which reflected his anti war views, as well as his avant-garde and graphic design talent.  Dada is a inspirational artist because of his creative and unique style of writing and art.