[iDC] media curating & production
Pamela Jennings
pamelaj at cs.cmu.edu
Sun Aug 26 16:05:12 UTC 2007
Hello Lynn,
In your email you mention that "Perhaps the answer resides with developing
an innovative way to invent with new tools using underpinnings and
structures of support without requirements of a "finished" work. This would
incite a different kind of inquiry that may, in the end, be far more
productive." Based on my observation and work in research institutions this
is the core process of RESEARCH. It is rarely, if ever, about finishing a
work, project or product. Rather it tends to be about the ability to pose a
small incremental question that can be chipped away in a slow and laborious
process. The longer the process the more security within an institution the
researcher has. But the researcher's goals and activities are usually at
the whim of fundable initiatives. In essence, the researcher is not
awarded for producing finality. On the other hand, artists are expected to
work toward finality, a stopping point when the final drip is dropped onto
the canvas of creativity. The productive, and often successful artist
figures out how to reconfigure their drip, such that an industry around
their aesthetic is born.
There seem to be a few programs, both in institution and support mechanisms
that are attempting to merge core forms of practice and research. I'm sure
there are many people on this list who are participants in interdisciplinary
programs that are bridging or trying to understand how to bridge arts and
sciences of research with the arts and sciences of creativity.
Jon mentioned that "...it would appear that a vast majority of 'creative'
production is made to fit existing contexts (of funding and social
(ir)relevance) rather than creating its own context, or simply existing in
interstitial and unmapped spaces." So it seems that the shaping of one's
research agenda to resource availability is also at play in the art world.
I'm not sure if there are any "unmapped spaces" left in new media - or art
in general, if I'm taking "spaces" to mean the tools, forms and methods of
presentation. So perhaps, this leads to the crisis of digital media work
that remains visually seductive - like a drip on a piece of campus but
critically flaccid. The question is where do we go from here?
Even if institutional vision - speaking generally - tends to be problematic,
it's a major part of the structure that supports our art products and
research meanderings. If an institution is limited to providing facility
and not vision, then its foundation is compromised and ability to sustain
itself is destroyed. The institution falters, and we the
creatives/researchers are left with no facilities and communities to support
our discoveries and creativity. The question is, what kind of institution
or institutional structure can support challenging propositions,
controversy, and just plain alternative spins on a vision as its core vision
of its own. Is this an oxymoron - a vision based on ephemerality and
flexibility?
Pamela
_________________________________________________
Pamela Jennings, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Art and HCI
Carnegie Mellon University
pamelaj at andrew.cmu.edu | http://studio416.cfa.cmu.edu
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Subject: iDC Digest, Vol 34, Issue 31
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: iDC Digest, Vol 34, Issue 30 (Pamela Jennings)
2. Re: media curating & production (John Hopkins)
3. Re: iDC Digest, Vol 34, Issue 30 (Lynn Hershman)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 14:28:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Pamela Jennings" <pamelaj at andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: [iDC] iDC Digest, Vol 34, Issue 30
To: idc at mailman.thing.net
Message-ID: <1576.128.2.192.47.1188066511.squirrel at webmail.cs.cmu.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
Cynthia,
Thanks for your insightful post. I do think that regardless how an artist
receives support for their work, they are being patronized - whether it is
an institution, a curator, foundation or federal agency. The question is
what is the breadth of the vision of that patron
institution. I agree that current trends have leaned toward as you state
"a feeding frenzy centered on super-stars, and that many (not all) prefer
artists with work that is easy to explain, favoring one-trick work over
multi-faceted complexity." This work is entertaining in its aesthetics of
the screen, but often lays tethered like a buoy in the waves of
mediocrity. I long to see the development of a practice that is just as
celebrated by our institutions that celebrates the phenomenon of the
technical tool with the vision of a purpose.
Pamela
__________________________________________________________________
Pamela Jennings, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Art and HCII
Carnegie Mellon University
pamelaj at andrew.cmu.edu | http://studio416.cfa.cmu.edu
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 12:45:10 -0700
From: John Hopkins <jhopkins at neoscenes.net>
Subject: Re: [iDC] media curating & production
To: idc at mailman.thing.net
Message-ID: <p06230912c2f63361142c@[192.168.1.101]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
Hi Pam --
>Thanks for your insightful post. I do think that regardless how an artist
>receives support for their work, they are being patronized - whether it is
>an institution, a curator, foundation or federal agency. The question is
>what is the breadth of the vision of that patron
>institution. I agree that current trends have leaned toward as you state
I'd take one step further to say that it can be even better for a
complete lack of vision on the patron's part -- so that the artist(s)
do the forging of the vision. Institutional vision is, well,
problematic by its very nature. I think that vision should be
limited to providing/facilitating contexts, conditions, situations
for autonomous zones to rise up -- even if it means controversy,
scandal, limited temporal spans, instability, challenging
propositions and actions, failure, inexplicable insurrections, etc,
etc...
>"a feeding frenzy centered on super-stars, and that many (not all) prefer
>artists with work that is easy to explain, favoring one-trick work over
>multi-faceted complexity." This work is entertaining in its aesthetics of
Although the chicken/egg question comes up, it would appear that a
vast majority of 'creative' production is made to fit existing
contexts (of funding and social (ir)relevance) rather than creating
its own context, or simply existing in interstitial and unmapped
spaces. (having said that, it is so that there ARE legion spaces
unmapped that ARE full of inspiring actions, objects, and energies --
thank gawd -- else the social landscape would be truly sterile,
predictable, and wholly consumed.
>the screen, but often lays tethered like a buoy in the waves of
>mediocrity. I long to see the development of a practice that is just as
>celebrated by our institutions that celebrates the phenomenon of the
>technical tool with the vision of a purpose.
I'm not sure an institutional celebration of any kind is either
possible or even desireable. The party would doubtless be held
around a dead and festering carcass of creativity. Properly cooked
to socially acceptable done-ness, this carcass would then be simply
consumed the party-goers until they were stuffed an unable even to
pick up any tools to successfully fight their way out of the Master's
house...
or so.
hmmm.
John
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:39:06 -0700
From: Lynn Hershman <lynn2 at well.com>
Subject: Re: [iDC] iDC Digest, Vol 34, Issue 30
To: idc at mailman.thing.net
Message-ID: <AA33FB9D-7F3E-4C95-AB0E-B3B0D1AEC61B at well.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
Dear Cynthia and Pamela,
Perhaps the answer resides with developing an innovative way to
invent with new tools using underpinnings and structures of support
without requirements of a "finished" work. This would incite a
different kind of inquiry that may, in the end, be far more productive.
l
On Aug 25, 2007, at 11:28 AM, Pamela Jennings wrote:
> Cynthia,
>
> Thanks for your insightful post. I do think that regardless how an
> artist
> receives support for their work, they are being patronized -
> whether it is
> an institution, a curator, foundation or federal agency. The
> question is
> what is the breadth of the vision of that patron
> institution. I agree that current trends have leaned toward as you
> state
> "a feeding frenzy centered on super-stars, and that many (not all)
> prefer
> artists with work that is easy to explain, favoring one-trick work
> over
> multi-faceted complexity." This work is entertaining in its
> aesthetics of
> the screen, but often lays tethered like a buoy in the waves of
> mediocrity. I long to see the development of a practice that is
> just as
> celebrated by our institutions that celebrates the phenomenon of the
> technical tool with the vision of a purpose.
>
>
> Pamela
>
> __________________________________________________________________
>
> Pamela Jennings, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor of Art and HCII
> Carnegie Mellon University
> pamelaj at andrew.cmu.edu | http://studio416.cfa.cmu.edu
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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