Today in Aesthetics class the question was raised--why do we value art objects? The observation that practically speaking, works of art have little utilitarian use was brought to the table for discussion. The partner presentation by Ben Faubion and Bahador Shojapour explored in class some of the complex reasons we put an economic value on art objects that have little to offer in terms of doing something like transporting one or feeding one or protecting one. Ben and Bahador developed their discussion following the 6 so called "Iron Rules" of art value which appear in the essay in our text by Mark Sagoff, entitled: "On the aesthetic and economic Value of Art."The class as a whole came to the conclusion that (as Sagoff claimed), the real value of the art is less in its intrinsic or practical qualities and value and more in the cultural and personal connections the object has to offer. The challenge was given to the entire class to imagine what objects they would save and why they would save them, if they could only grab three things out of a burning house after people and pets had been saved.
Then the next question to ask is why did you save those three objects? What personal and cultural value do they hold? What people and places do those objects connect with? This exercise is valuable in the way it helps one to understand why some objects can be priceless because the values they connect to are extremely important to one's personal history and even to one's identity. Now, extend this personal view to a country and one sees that art represents or embodies the cultural and personal heritage of a people.
I encourage all bloggers to share what objects have the most cultural and personal heritage and why they are important to you.
12 comments:
Well, I was thinking of three things that I would save, and I decided on my computer, a book called Giants in the Earth, and one favorite painting of mine. I would save my computer because I have everything stored on it, all of my work, photos, information, stuff which is pretty important to me. One certain painting of mine because in my opinion it is my best piece, it is my favorite. And I would save the book because it is my favorite novel. I found it in my mom's books she had from college. It always looked interesting and one day I picked it up and started reading it. I read it through the first time and I barely understod it. But because there was something about that book that captured my attention, so I have read it over and over and I discover and figure out something new every time. I think that is mostly why I would save that particular book. So those are the three things that I would save over all.
~Micaela McCann
I really enjoyed Ben and Bahadors presentation it was very informative and raised great questions.
If my house were burning I honestly have no idea what I would take with me. I would miss everything and at the same time understand it is all just stuff. I might even feel a sense of freedom from the many material things that control me, but of course it would be pretty awful because in order to live in this society I would have to replace most of it. As long as I take my memory I wont forget the presence these objects once had in my life.
I do not know why the computer is calling me John
my name is Kate Daly
I would be relieved if everything I owned burned up. I'm starting to think the most valued objects I have are the ones that have rendered a change in me. They only represent what took place. They act as a reminder, in the same way photographs remind us of our experiences. The less you own, the more you cherish what you have.
-Tiffany England
Micaela,Kate,(John is there is one) and Tiffany,
Those were fascinating responses and remind us that some of the things we most value are intangible things which if we do attach an object to them become valuable.
But if we yearn for freedom from the grasp of things then we may value the loss of somethings which keep us captive.
Henry David Thoreau wanted to escape from civilization into Walden pond and the freedom from the world the pond presented was for him a total immersion into the aesthetic realm of nature with it's treasures of light, color, animals, and harmony.
Bill
I have been thinking about the three things I would choose since Bill mentioned this to us; and it is really a hard decision for me. Of course my computer would come first. As a graphic designer, a lot of my life and work revolves around my computer. I also have a lot of pictures and other important information stored in it. Then I would save my favorite painting that I have done. Then third, well, I would want to save my entire book collection or at least my art related books. (That probably counts as more then one item.) But my books mean a lot to me. I have some valuable japanese books that are rare; those are extremely important to me. So if I had to narrow it down: computer, painting, and my japanese books.
As far as things I would take with me, my computer. my first painting by Margaret Keane that was giving to me when I was young, and my jewelry box filled with trinkets and pieces that have been passed down through my family. I notice that most of what I would take are things from the past, and as much as I feel we cannot live in yesterday I also feel that these are the things that hold so much more than many contemporary things we have. It's almost as though we can feel the history in them.
When I look at my stack of books, my paintings, and generally everything in my room, it is hard to decide what to take if I could only take one thing. I think if you asked yourself this everyday it might be a different thing everyday, because on a day to day basis my mind assigns different levels of importance to things depending on what is going on in my life.
Right now, I would save my scarf my grandmother made me.
I'm an overly literal/practical person so I'm trying to think about this in terms of what objects hold the most personal value to me instead of going with my gut reaction and logically figuring out which would be the most expensive to replace and easiest to take with me.
I suppose my computer, or at least my backup drive would be the first thing. I spend a great deal of time on my computer as a digital artist, a gamer, and a writer. Enough parts of my life center around it that I have a lot of files on there that I wouldn't want to lose.
I'm not really sure what else I'd take. My books and DVDs are pretty important to me but they are replaceable. I don't really have any important jewelry or trinkets other than the necklace I wear every day anyway.
I suppose I'd also probably grab my convention memorabilia. I have a lot of autographed photos and signed books and things that definitely cannot be replaced easily that are important to me.
This is a pretty interesting thing to think about though. I'm somewhat of a packrat. I have trouble getting rid of things. But when it comes right down to it, I think I'm the same as Kate where I can't really prioritize my material possessions over each other that easily.
I'd be disappointed to lose most of my stuff, regardless of what I managed to take, but the only things I genuinely care about being able to save aren't material possessions.
If the world were to come to an end, I would take
3 THINGS
1 - A black and white picture of my wife
2 - Stefan Sagmeister's "self-incision" poster
3 - My grandfather's cigar box
3 REASONS
1 - The most important person in my life.
2 - Reflective of putting one's heart and soul
in their profession.
3 - A thread that connects me to my lineage/family.
Thanks,
Bahador
Ben and Bahador raised a very interesting point on art and the world around us. Gold and Silver is something that is also not very useful if you really think about it. It is interesting how certain objects can be worth such a high value when they are not really used for anything really useful. However, I would not consider gold and silver art. Where as an Art piece has value because of the Artist and what they had to go through in their life.
-Travis Poe
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