So today I was up in the attic cleaning out a bunch of boxes & came across some work I did when i was in college taking an experimental photography class. Some of the pieces had started to yellow, curl, & fall apart already as a result of using rubber cement that wasn't archival. I took that class about 5 yrs ago, & when you really start to think about art & its longevity, how does it fit into your idea of permanence?I had a discussion with my friend Christie the other day about making art & the cathartic process in which art can evolve into. I see creating as something i must do to be a balanced individual in my mind space. I use art as an outlet-a venue of release to get whatever is in me out-whether its good bad or otherwise-it's out! But I also see all my work as temporary-sometimes as temporary as the time it takes to create the piece. I can think of at least 3 pieces in the last several years where I've completed the piece, studied it, understood it, & thrown it out! These pieces were meant to be expelled out of my mind & released almost instantly.
In terms of the pieces I found in the attic which were already decaying, I found this didn't bother me. Imperfect as they may be, not like they were perfect to begin with mind you, I found them in yet another stage of their existence. I create my art for me & I've never assumed it would be around longer than my lifetime so this yellowing, curling, & falling apart seemed as natural as any other object aging & reacting to the atmosphere.
Kind of interesting when you take a moment to think about how temporary art can be. Just a thought :)
No comments:
Post a Comment