So, today was the first day of classes for my Spring semester at IUPUI. My second (and final) class of the day was Seeing Sideways! with Beth Lykins. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there, but it turned out to be a pretty cool experience.
We sat in a big circle and turned out the lights. (Not sure what was up with the "no lights" thing, but whatever. Mood lighting.) Then we went around and told the class our names and an interesting story from our childhood. Then we went over the Syllabus and all that necessary but boring shit. At this point, everything was pretty standard for the first day of a New Media Arts and Science course.
Things first got a little weird when we took a 15 minute break and Beth told us that everyone (seriously, EVERYONE) had to leave the room and that no one was allowed to get out of their rolly chairs. Reason? I don't know, but you don't have to tell me twice. I was out the door and speeding along the hallways in no time. I contemplated seeing if I could roll my chair down the stairs, thought better of it, and decided instead to make a lap or two around the upper level. (It's basically a big rectangle with pretty long hallways, so I was able to pick up some serious speed.)
On my second lap, a couple of students who weren't in the class, but who were seating in some chairs waiting for their next class to start, were giving me weird looks. I smashed into a wall in front of them to stop myself and then gave them a very serious look and said, "This is for class." One of them acted like I hadn't even spoken and the other shook his head disapprovingly. Some people! I was having a good time and they were acting like I just punched an elderly man in the balls.
Anywho, I eventually made my way back into class and everyone reformed their circle. We started discussing what was considered "art" and where New Media fell into that. We watched a film by Blu, called "MUTO," and also listened to John Cage's "4'33."
Afterward, we continued our discussion. For me, art is making an emotion or a feeling and making it something someone else can see or hear or feel. Good art evokes an emotional response from the person audience. If I attended one of John Cage's concerts (and, presumably, paid money) to hear him play "4'33," the only emotion he would evoke from me would be anger! Not because of something in the "music," but because he had to audacity to play nothing and to think that I would just overlook that as an artistic stunt.
Do I think it was a bold statement? Absolutely! Was it art? Hell, no! Kanye West calling George Bush a racist on live television was a bold statement, but it wasn't any more artistic than my last bowel movement. (Which wasn't too shabby, if I do say so myself.) My point is that nobody is running out to buy a "4'33" CD and no one (without a lot of money to throw away) is going to buy a ticket to hear him play it live.
I understand that how much money an album makes or how much someone is willing to pay for a painting doesn't show how much artistic merit a piece has, but it does say something! We are willing to spend money on things that we love; things that make us laugh, cry, think, etc. Cage's piece doesn't do any of those things for me (or anyone I know, for that matter), and that's why I cannot possibly think of it as art.
Who knows, though? Maybe I am dead wrong. If so, I have a whole trunk full of "4'33" CD's if anyone is interested. $10 bucks apiece.
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