ie | 12 Planet of the Arts / May-june 1996 Being A First Year Student When | first came to ECIAD, | only knew that | wanted to draw. | had friends who were good at drawing comics. | wanted to draw like they did, to be able to draw something that looked like something. At the beginning of first year, | only appreciated “realistic” art. | could understand realistic art. It was about skill - the skill to be able to make marks on paper, stone, or canvas in such a way that they looked like real life. | didn’t have that skill, but | wanted it, like wanti- ng to be able to snowboard, or rock climb, or something. Of course, | had been exposed to other kinds of art: abstract art, and even installation art. Through the course of First Year | was exposed to even more. | knew these kinds of art existed, but | could- n't relate to them. They weren’t about skill. Installation art seemed to be a sort of game. In good installation art, the artist's idea was sup- posed to filter through to the audience. | could relate to this (sort of) because it seemed to require a certain amount of skill — the skill to be able to choose the right vehicle so that the artist’s intention would be understood by the audience. | couldn't relate to Abstract art at all. | didn’t see any value in it. Jackson Pollock’s stuff wasn’t about anything. There was no original idea or intention to be read from it, except for some sort of psycho- logical or spiritual thing, as Pollock marked down personal symbols or painted his mood in some sort of automatic writing way. | didn’t get it, though. There didn’t seem to be any skill involved. Anyone can drip paint on a canvas in an automatic writing sort-of way. Why should Jackson Pollock’s inner demons be more valuable than anyone else’s? Everyone else seemed to think that Pollock’s work, and all that other abstract stuff, was very beautiful and important, so | just went along with it. For me, it became a matter of taste, and taste is a rela- tive thing. Everyone has different tastes. Some people think Jackson Pollock’s work is beautiful and important, but | don’t. And that’s just fine. There was a lot of this sort of thinking happening in First Year. Almost everything anyone did was valid. It was an attempt to make us more open-minded, more willing to try anything. This, | think, was the point of all those silly First Year projects. Like standing in front of a large piece of paper with your eyes closed for a very long time, as the instructor tells you to make fast, slow, circular, and jagged marks on the paper. Or like the crazy Creative Processes procession through Granville Island, complete with weird masks and musical instruments. Getting Past Realism My understanding of art began to change. Art was not about the ability to make things that looked like the real world. This skill was only one of the many options an artist could use to communicate a message, idea, or concept. | soon found that there were problems with idea or concept art. If art was about getting an idea or concept across, then what should that idea or concept be? | soon learned that some ideas were much more popular than others. If the idea was popular, that made people think it made good art. Moreover, it was very difficult to convey your original intention, because everyone would see different things in the piece, and have their own separate readings of it. So the whole con- ception of art being about getting an idea across becomes moot. Ca laste, ~& olly beans 5 : chompers : -gsmarties - +more!!! The government ives me #8000 a year to Spend | began to discover that it was better to make things that were ambiguous, so that people were free to read whatever they liked into the artwork. Ambiguity, however, can also mean blandness. Bland art is bad art because no one remembers it. It became important to make things that were spectacular as well: flashing lights, sound, motion. In short, art became “con” art. The trick was to make something that was as spectacular as possible, but at the same time, about as little as possible. Art was about making a facade. Scholarships and Con Art This was the approach | used when | applied for scholarships in my first and second year. | made the most spectacular things | could out of the temporal and physical elements available to me. In First Year | cast three figures out of tin foil (cheap and fast, but impressive) and hung them by threads (again, cheap and fast, but impressive) so that they could swing freely but would make screeching noises as they scraped the floor (motion + sound = impressive). To make sure the figures moved | added a fan. There was all this spectacle with no specific meaning. Yet meaning was sure to be read in the work, sim- ply by virtue of the figures, which everyone could identify with. To be sure, | added the title We are but a breath, which is vaguely about the very broad concept of life and death. In second year | had majored in silkscreen. When scholarship time rolled around | realized that plain old boring prints would never win any money—they weren’t spectacular enough. Prints, especially at my inept second year level, were more about the technical skill of printmaking, and less about getting an idea across. If art is about get- ting an idea across, then the use of printmaking should be specific to the intention of the piece. It made sense to me to print money. But huge silkscreens of dollar bills on the wall? Boring. To make them spectacular | attached them to a machine that raised and lowered them, dispersed throughout the room. Spectacular. But not about anything, really. They were about money, specifically American money, because the bills were American. But money is a very broad subject. Everyone uses it, and therefore associates with it. People have different associations of at I learned at Art School or how | earned to ask the By Kevin mat 9 h t estions course, but my money sculpture was vague enough to accommo- date anyone’s association. With such impressive facades, | won scholarships in both years. In the first semester of fourth year, | validated this conception of “con” art. Each year in art his- tory you are required to write a research paper. Prior to my fourth year | had always just got- ten the paper out of the way by writing about something that didn’t really matter to me, like a trivial contrast and comparison essay. For some reason, | decided in fourth year’s fall semester to do something that mattered. | decided to learn what postmod- ernism — this thing that’s on everyone's mind — was all about. | also decided that | would write something about how no one in the world outside art can relate to what goes on inside of the art world. | was writing about some- thing that mattered to me, | learned a lot. | discovered that postmod- ernism is a very confused and vague term. There are lots of dif- ferent writers who all give post- modernism different meanings. For the most part they agree on one thing: postmodernism is a break with modernism. What is modernism? Modernism is a phi- losophy/way of thinking that see What I Learned, page 14 12 Planet ofthe Arts / May/June 1996 Being A First Year Student ‘When I fst came to ECIAD, | only knew that I wanted to draw. | hhad friends who were good at drawing comics. | wanted to draw like they did, to be able to draw something that looked like something. ‘At the beginning of first year, | only appreciated “realistic” at. 1 could understand realistic art. It was about sil - the sil to be able to make marks on paper, stone, or canvas in such a way that they Jooked like real life. | didn’t have that skill, but! wanted it, like wanti- fag to be able to snowboard, o¢ rock climb, or something OF course, | had been exposed to other kinds of at: abstract art, ‘and even installation art. Through the course of Fist Year I was ‘exposed to even more. I knew these kinds of art existed, but | could- n't relate to them. They weren't about skil. Installation art seemed to be a sort of game. In good installation art, the artist’ idea was sup- posed to filter through to the audience. | could relate to this (sort of) because it seemed to require a certain amount of skill the skill to be able to choose the right vehicle so that the arts’ intention would be understood by the audience. {couldn't relate to Abstract art at al. didn't see any value in it. Jackson Pollock's stuff wasn't about anything, There was no original idea or intention to be read from it, except for some sort of psycho- logical or spiritual thing, as Pollock marked down personal symbols or painted his mood in some sort of automatic writing way. I didn’t get it, though. There didn’t seem to be any skill involved. Anyone can dip paint on a canvas in an automatic writing sort-of way. Why should Jackson Pollock’ inner demons be more valuable than anyone else's? Everyone else seemed to think that Pollock's work, and all that other abstract stuff, was very beautiful and important, so I just went ‘along with it. For me, it became a matter of taste, and taste isa rela- tive thing. Everyone has different tastes. Some people think Jackson Pollock's work is beautiful and important, but | don’t. And that’s just fine. There was a lot ofthis sort of thinking happening in First Year. ‘Almost everything anyone did was valid. It was an attempt to make tus more open-minded, more wiling to try anything. This, | think, was the point ofall those sily First Year projects. Like standing in front of {large piece of paper with your eyes closed for a very long time, as the instructor tells you to make fast, slow, circular, and jagged marks ‘on the paper. Or like the crazy Creative Processes procession through Granville sland, complete with weird masks and musical instruments. Getting Past Realism My understanding of art began to change. Art was not about the ability to make things that looked like the real world. This skill was ‘only one of the many options an artist could use to communicate a ‘message, idea, or concept. {soon found that there were problems with idea or concept art. if ‘art was about getting an idea or concept across, then what should ‘that idea or concept be? | soon learned that some ideas were much ‘more popular than others. Ifthe idea was popular, that made people think it made good art. Moreover, it was very dificult to convey your ‘original intention, because everyone would see diferent things in the piece, and have their own separate readings of it. So the whole con- ception of art being about getting an idea across becomes moot. The BM yeer"te spe on juaktong ot my eb Doge Sone tia | x] i | began to discover that it was better to make things that were ambiguous, so that people were free to read whatever they liked into the artwork. Ambiguity, however, can also mean blandness. Bland art is bad art because no one remembers it. It became important to make things that were spectacular as well: flashing lights, sound, motion. In shor, art became “con” art. The ‘tick was to make something that was as spectacular as possible, but at the same time, about as little as possible. Art was about making a facade. Scholarships and Con Art ‘This was the approach | used when | applied for scholarships in ‘my first and second year. | made the most spectacular things | could ‘out of the temporal and physical elements available to me. In First Year | cast three figures out of tinfoil (cheap and fast, but impressive) ‘and hung them by threads (again, cheap and fast, But impressive) so, that they could swing freely but would make screeching noises as they scraped the floor (motion + sound = impressive) To make sure the figures moved | added a fan. There was all this spectacle with no specific meaning. Yet meaning was sure to be read in the work, sim= ply by virtue of the figures, which everyone could identify with. To be sure, | added the ttle We are but a breath, which is vaguely about the very broad concept of life and death. In second year | had majored in silkscreen. When scholarship time rolled around | realized that plain old boring prints would never win any money-—they weren't spectacular enough. Prints, especialy at ‘my inept second year level, were more about the technical skill of printmaking, and less about getting an idea across. fat is about get- ting an idea across, then the use of printmaking should be specific to the intention of the piece. It made sense to me to print money. But huge sikscreens of dollar bills on the wall? Boring. To make them spectacular | attached them to.a machine that raised and lowered them, dispersed throughout, the room. Spectacular. But not about anything, realy. They were ‘about money, specifically American money, because the bls were ‘American. But money isa very broad subject. Everyone uses it, and therefore associates with it. People have different associations of What I learned at Art School or how I earned to ask the By Kevin oig ht estions ) course, but my money sculpture was vague enough to accommo: date anyone's association. With, such impressive facades, | won. scholarships in both years. In the frst semester of fourth year, | validated this conception ‘of “con” art. Each year in art his- tory you are required to write a esearch paper, Prior to my fourth year I had always just got- ten the paper out of the way by writing about something that didn't really matter to me, like a ‘rival contrast and comparison ‘essay. For some reason, | decided in fourth years fll semester to do something that mattered. | decided to learn what postmod- eznism = this thing that’s on everyone's mind — was all about. | also decided that | would write something about how no one in the world outside art can relate to what goes on inside of the art world. | was writing about some- thing that mattered to me, | fearned a lot | discovered that postmod: cernism isa very confused and vague term. There are lots of dit- ferent writers who all give post ‘modernism diferent meanings. For the most part they agree on ‘one thing: postmodernism is a break with modernism. What is ‘modernism? Modernism is a phi- losophy/way of thinking that ‘S00 What Larned. ge 14