(1) The momentum is decisively no longer in English departments but in arts, design, architecture and music.
(2) These places demand and crave something fresh and, as has often been the case on my travels, they were very receptive to OOO, or had already been studying it.
(3) The artists on the panel were both positioned vis a vis forms of realism—not your grandma's realism, for sure. Padraig Timoney was fascinatingly committed to working directly with media in a way that was suggestive to him of what he was hearing at the conference. For instance, he has done paintings that he then worked over with photographic developing fluid—photography, as he argued, being one of the ultimate realist tools. Of course what happens when you do this is very strange. And “broken mirrors,” treated with chemicals so they don't reflect:
Martin Westwood was already very familiar with Harman's work and had been working with all kinds of object-oriented art already. I was particularly struck by his talk about different forms of economy in and around art. He was keen not simply to get involved in economies of exchange, which he associated with relationism.
Westwood did an extraordinary piece in which he modeled the ceiling of the installation space on the floor—upside down and with all the right pieces and pipes, but nonfunctioning, of course. (Image is above.) The idea was that the spectators would have to walk in a weird interstitial space between a functioning tool of which they were now aware (the ceiling above them) and a broken tool (the ceiling below). It was a very striking piece.
(4) Graham just reminded me how Nietzsche said your philosophy can change when you change the music you're listening to. There are all kinds of reasons why art and OOO seem to be hailing each other right now. Several people told me that I had given them reasons to do more art and feel good about it—nice one.
OOO has a lot of space in its heart for innovation, creation and the love of things.
Thanks again to the incredible people who made it all work: David Reid and Eliza Bonham Carter, Kevin Love and Amanda Beech, and a host of others.
Tim, thought you might like Naheed's work for exactly the reasons mentioned. She's been trying to get me to do some collaborative work with her for ages but sadly havent managed it yet. The Videos are like OOO Dzogchen meditation pieces! "Bubble" absolutely cracks me up everytime I watch it! Enjoy!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.naheedraza.co.uk/work.html
ps Interesting to hear about your practice! Virtually the same practice and lineage myself. Principle practices Yamantaka and Yajrayogini but sadly neglectful and lapsed these days!
pps Radigue in Spitalfields was sublime!
Hi DFX, are you the same DFX as was on a retreat with Tsoknyi Rinpoche in Spring 2008?
ReplyDeleteYou are certainly correct about the momentum shifting to new sites: music, art, design, and architecture. In this regard, see Samantha Harvey's review of my latest:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nbol-19.org/view_doc.php?index=146
My emphasis on "nature" as words with a history suggests why hyper-objects and object-oriented thinking are so important; they help us to imagine a new sense of the "thingness" of things. So climate change is real, but we still need to theorize the words that will help us to talk about Buddhism, Radigue, and much much more.
No sadly not. Sorry for "virtual" confusion but Blogger made me register a nickname for some reason to leave a response. I teach at Goldsmiths, we have conversed a couple of times, and I was meant to come to NYC to the conference with Cameron, Damien, Allan etc at New School, but my partner has just had a baby and so didnt make it. Similarly didnt make RCA with "hungryghost" But one day will catch up hopefully! Cheers. Duncan
ReplyDeleteps loved your spiel on life as a Grad student! Brilliant!