Art Conclusive Essay
“All the best stories are but one story in reality - the story of escape. It is the only thing which interests us all and at all times, how to escape.” - AC Benson
The concept of escape is central to the development of the theme in my work, We escape the mundane reality and boring routine of our daily lives through our dreams and ambitions. We dream to be different. We dream to be truly alive, in such a way that we can look back at our lives on day and think that we have truly reached our full potential and made the most out of each opportunity. However, often it is people’s and sometimes even our own perceptions of ourselves that keep us in “the box” and that “clip our wings” and thus prevent us from reaching our goals. We often live up to the stereotypes placed upon us because of our race, gender, financial standing, culture, nationality etc. To achieve our full potential, we must try to fly above these false perceptions and escape from that which prevents us from chasing our dreams - the banality of reality.
ESCAPING THE BANALITY OF REALITY THROUGH NON-TRADITIONAL ART MEDIUMS
Brian Dettmer, an American artist1, is an expert at transforming what is perceived and giving it new, true meaning. He is best known for his detailed and innovative sculptures with books and in recent years has established himself as one of the leading contemporary artists working with books today. His work deals with the concept of how information, material and history of our age is being lost, eroded and slipping away from us because it is no longer ‘real’ - it is virtual, digital information. He said, “ In the tangible world we are left with a frozen material but in the intangible world we may be left with nothing.”2 Books, according to society have lost their relevance in their physical form and yet it’s richness and depth is universally respected but the book’s intended function has decreased. Dettmer thus alters the physical form and physical function as well as shifting the
The concept of escape is central to the development of the theme in my work, We escape the mundane reality and boring routine of our daily lives through our dreams and ambitions. We dream to be different. We dream to be truly alive, in such a way that we can look back at our lives on day and think that we have truly reached our full potential and made the most out of each opportunity. However, often it is people’s and sometimes even our own perceptions of ourselves that keep us in “the box” and that “clip our wings” and thus prevent us from reaching our goals. We often live up to the stereotypes placed upon us because of our race, gender, financial standing, culture, nationality etc. To achieve our full potential, we must try to fly above these false perceptions and escape from that which prevents us from chasing our dreams - the banality of reality.
ESCAPING THE BANALITY OF REALITY THROUGH NON-TRADITIONAL ART MEDIUMS
Brian Dettmer, an American artist1, is an expert at transforming what is perceived and giving it new, true meaning. He is best known for his detailed and innovative sculptures with books and in recent years has established himself as one of the leading contemporary artists working with books today. His work deals with the concept of how information, material and history of our age is being lost, eroded and slipping away from us because it is no longer ‘real’ - it is virtual, digital information. He said, “ In the tangible world we are left with a frozen material but in the intangible world we may be left with nothing.”2 Books, according to society have lost their relevance in their physical form and yet it’s richness and depth is universally respected but the book’s intended function has decreased. Dettmer thus alters the physical form and physical function as well as shifting the
Bibliography: http://www.maskara.ch/index.php?/projects/flash-dance/ http://www.maskara.ch/index.php?/projects/goodbye-horses/ http://briandettmer.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origami