"Untitled Guidelines for Happenings" Allan Kaprow

"The line between art and life should be kept as fluid, and perhaps indistinct, as possible."

I really like this quote from Kaprow. I wasn't sure what to get from this article, but I'm going to try.

I feel like he is giving instructions on how to have a "Happening," but at the same time he doesn't

want it to be planned.

I really like where he talked about time. That is probably what stuck out most to me in the

entire article. "Above all, this is 'real' or 'experienced' time as distinct from conceptual time. If it

conforms to the clock used in the Happening, as above, that is legitimate, but if it does not

because a clock is not needed, that is equally legitimate. All of us know how, when we are busy,

time accelerates, and how, conversely, when we are bored it can drag almost to a stand-still. Real

time is always connected with doing something, with an event of some kind, and so is bound up

with things and spaces." This is so true. Time seems to speed up or slow down, depending on how

active we are.

What I got from this is that you can have a "Happening" anywhere, anytime. The act is the art,

whether someone is watching or not.

"Rigging" Richard Serra

Serra talks about how he began by only using his hands and necessary tools to create his art, but as it grew he had to use machinery. He refers to rigging as not using machines and tools, but more of a hand-extension. "All technology is a hand extension -- electricity is a central nervous system extension. He also says that you must rely on your previous experiences to assist you with rigging; that there are no directions or guidelines to follow.

Serra also stated that sculptures shouldn't "attend to architecture" but the art that "has the potential to create its own place and space, and to work in contradiction to the spaces and places where it is created..." I like the idea that the sculpture is its own environment, not relying on its surroundings to create it.

Serra thought that art was being used as a scapegoat by political figures to avoid the real issues at hand, i.e. "the misuse of their taxpayers' money in terms of urban design." It seems that art is an easy target to get upset over and start disagreements, when there are bigger fish to fry, so to speak.

"Meaningless Work" Walter de Maria

"Meaningless work is obviously the most important and significant art form today." With a statement like that, it's hard not to wonder more about meaningless work. I love Walter's description of meaningless work, how it is meant to be done alone, and "it's something that doesn't bring you money or accomplish a conventional purpose." It almost seems as if meaningless work is something rhythmic, like Jackson Pollock's work; the artist gets into a trance-like state.

It seems Walter was fascinated with nature and natural disasters, thus his appeal to make a lightning field. "I like natural disasters and I think that they may be the highest form of art possible to experience." I really like that statement. I believe, in a sense, that natural disasters are beautiful art if looked at in the right way.

All the thought and research he put into the lightning field seems more like some math homework rather than art. I think it's good that he did all the calculations though. It makes it rhythmic and structured.

"Isolation is the essence of Land Art."

"Installations, Environments, and Sites" Peter Selz

These artists were all about making art in and about nature. They wanted to create the art within the earth and its environment. It seemed they were about keeping things minimal. Christo used fabric for his designs and they were not permanent. He also recycled all the materials he used for his projects. Walter De Maria created the lightning field to create "a stunning relationship between pure, rational, abstract manmade forms and the overwhelming power of nature's earth, sky, and light."

Most artists at this time were not formally trained in the arts. They created their own works on their own.

Everything at this time just seemed to be reall nature-oriented, as if the artists were trying to get back to their roots.

Blog #7 The Spiral Jetty

I remember talking about this in art appreciation, but I didn't take it in then like I have today. I have really gotten into being outside more and enjoying nature. This piece is really beautiful because it is created from element from the earth. I like how he was looking for a place with red waters, so it seemed like blood. He compared the salt lake to a body, having veins and arteries. I also liked his discussion of scale. "Scale depends on one's capacity to be conscious of the actualities of perception." Scale is all a matter of how you look at something. It is always changable. I am just really drawn to the fact that he searched nature to find the perfect canvas for his work.

I really liked where he talked about how people once tried to pump oil from a natural tar pool, but never could. "This site gave evidence of a succession of man-made systems mired in abandoned hopes."

The way he spoke about finding the site for the spiral jetty is really pretty, for lack of a better word. "It was as if the mainland oscillated with waves and pulsations, and the lake remained rock still. The shore of the lake became the edge of the sun, a boiling curve, an explosion rising into the fiery prominence."

Edward Kienholz "the portable war memorial"

in this edward keinholz describes his work " the portable war memorial"i still don't quit understand it well, but i think i might. he says the you read the sculpture from right to left. at first you see the old propaganda poster of uncle sam then a tomb stone with an inverted cross. the tomb stone is made of blackboard material with names of countries that don't exist anymore. then some tables and a coke machine a clock set to the current time (i'm guessing to the time zone the piece is in) then another tomb stone that represents the future and is pretty blank but there is a crucified man with his hands burned. he says that this is relating to our nuclear predicability and responsibility. now what interests me is the names of the countries that don't exist any more and the tomb stone for our future. might he be saying that we will eventually burn our hands fighting for something that will inevitably be come part of the past.
fermin jimenez

Blog on Jean Tinguely Untitled Statement

When I read this statement I immediately read it again and again, but this time not because I could not understand it, but because I wanted his words engraved in my mined.  The more times I read it the faster the voice in my mined read. It felt as though every sentence ended with an exclamation point. In this statement Jean Tinguely expresses his ideas about change, movement and the necessity of being static. He said “movement is static because it is the only immutable thing- the only thing that is unchangeable.”

My recent ideas in art are about the communication of ideas that feeds art and the ideas we are afraid to express, and since conversation is the way we communicate the most it is the focal point in my new body of work. Now, since I am interested in the emotions or ideas we are afraid to express, I have to dive in head first into my own.  I have been very hesitant to do so.  “Be yourself by growing above yourself.  Don’t stand in your own way. Let us change with, and not against, movement.” This statement I think has inspired me to venture into this new idea without fear or at least with much less of it. It has taught me that ideas will always change. So, there should be no real fear to say these things because eventually they will change.

Blog #6, Part 2

I googled Survival Research Laboratories, and this was one of the first images to populate. While I was reading this, I imaged terrifying machine creatures. I still think it's scary, even after looking up the work. At the same time, I feel like this is something I would see in a low-budget horror flick. I'm just not sure what to take from this group of artists. I see art in the pieces themselves, but I guess I'm just not into the shows. Some of these things just remind me of little boys playing around, causing trouble! hah! I find it quite creepy that they used parts of dead animals grafted onto machines. I don't like that. At all. They used dogs!

I do feel bad that he blew his hand off, but when working with explosives, that comes with the territory.

They also discuss the possibility of implanting electrodes in humans, much like they had done previously with animals. His only reason for refusal is because it's illegal. "However, I'll tell you something, you don't do animal experiments just to do animal experiments -- you do them to prepare for what you plan to do with humans someday."

Blog #6, Part 1 from the week of March 4th

The untitled statement by Jean Tinguely is quite an interesting way to look at life. I actually like it a lot. I read it twice, and the second time I read it, I got it. I feel like he's saying accept change, because it's natural and the only way to live. "Movement is static because it is the only immutable thing -- the only certainty, the only thing that is unchangeable. The only certainty is that movement, change, and metamorphosis exists." Then he goes on the say that we, as a society, are scared of change because it bring decomposition and throws it in our faces. But Tinguely states, "We are fooling ouselves if we close our eyes and refuse to recognize change. Actually decomposition begins only when we try to prevent it." We must live our lives and stop worrying about everything. Accept the change. It is beautiful. Death is just a transition if we believe it to be. He also said that a lot of beautiful art was created from our fear of death, because art leaves a permanent mark; it represents our existance when nothing else could.

"How lovely it is not to have to live forever."