I have been arguing(?) has some connection or links with being a Being in between. An interval that operates dysfunctionaly towards itself. Hence art objects are not functional in the survival and purposeful sense – they seem to be beyond the mere desire to survive. Artistic practices operate beyond being non-functional, as say do a sport, attempting to learn a dead language, etc. – as these practices either function for what they are not (eg sport), or are not functioning. (eg an unused language.)
The stuff I think we tend to link with art seems neither non functional, nor functional, but in between these – dysfunctional. ie, gaining its life from being able to be neither a tool/object for a purpose, nor a practice that has not purpose what so ever, with a bye-gone purpose or with a purpose that isn’t itself.
Art, in this way seems dysfunctional, and traditionally, by attracting various ideas as to its possible dysfunctional purpose – seem to have gained some extra vitality.
(Perhaps though, this seeming vitality is in effect and fact some sort of mysticism?)
Anyhow, I think that the dysfunctional view of linking stuff with art is slightly out of date as we get into the practices of social and economic values in connection with art. These, I think, collapse the very dysfunctionaly onto itself. The value for society or a person – as a sort of instrument or investment respectively – which relies on the dysfunctionality linked with art, has to become functional. The value attached by monetary or social instrumentalisation ends the dysfunctional life of a given practice, project and object.
Now, this collapse might be the very process that allows – or invokes a desire for new/other stuff of art. It might be the case indeed. However I think its a wishful thought.
Am basing that idea upon the fact – might not be a pivotal one – that as a person, when encountering functionalised art linked stuff, I tend to either have to imagine the time before x linked art was functionaliseed into some sort of cannon, value, etc., or disregard the function question all together.
Hence am asking – is the function question a mere indication for stuff that goes on – or is it indeed constitutive?
Am kind of tilting at the moment towards the possibility of “indication” rather than “constitutive”?
The reasons(?) am tilting towards indicative seem to be:
* the dysfunctional is an element in between the non and fully functional – hence places art linked stuff in an interval/between time and possibly space.
* the dysfunctional in art, despite folding into various functions – does not seem to diminish, in the minds of a fair few people, a vitality of a practice, project or a practice linked with art. Indeed, people seem to be happy lapping functions onto art linked stuff without the need to ask themselves whether or not that very activity folds or unfolds the dysfunctional.
Since I think there is a folding of the dysfunctional and that the dysfunctional is a subset of the being a Being inbetween question – hence the being an interval between the functional and its opposite – I sense there might be some other elements that keep art alive. Other than the dysfunctional question.
This morning, it occurred to me that one of such keeping art alive elements could be the dynamics of being in between, an interval and in suspense. The suspense is a new element in here, but seems that helps differentiate both the other 2 and give all 3 a way that they might operate together to form an artistic link sequence.
The between as the space element. If so, then might be formed by intervals – the time element. The suspense is the environmental element that both questions the interval-inbetween sequence, and allows them to be.
sort of:
if (interval-inbetween) ^ (suspense) ^ ?
Suspense in art?
Suspending disbelief?
Suspending images?
Suspending a certain flow of life?
Suspending as a way to imagine?
Suspending as a way to keep a tension in a narrative?
Suspending as a social request while interacting with art linked stuff? (eg dress codes, keeping silent, etc.)
Suspending prejudices?
Suspending as a motive in art? From images of suspended stuff, through to operating for social suspense?)
More??
http://flagartfoundation.org/exhibitions/space-between/
http://ken-follett.com/suspense/
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150325-between-the-sheets
http://www.openculture.com/2010/09/hitchcock_on_the_art_of_suspense.html
http://radioasart.net/RADIO_AS_ART.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_%28negative_space%29
https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-art-of-being-in-between
One reply on “in between, interval and now in suspense? #art,”
in between, interval and now in suspense? #art, http://itchy.5p.lt/in-between-interval-and-now-in-suspense-art/