Cutting up materials does more than what’s happening to the material. It also transforms ourselves, our feelings, out thoughts into something that didn’t exist before. By shaping a new form, a new meaning takes shape. This is also true with other media, such as drawing, painting and writing because they all use materials that allow us to open up a new door and see something new, like poetry, once engaged in a deep level.
On the contrary, we are surrounded by things that are made without much thoughts, feelings or complicated processes: a cube, a Mickey Mouse, a photograph, a size, a material, a colour, a meaning. The author, Tony Cragg describes that they are made “not by creating something new but by the cold-hearted combination of elements taken out of a well functioning industrial reality”. They create mysticism and not power or potential to explore and discover something new or a new meaning.
Traditionally artists create forms and images, which are reflected upon the artist’s knowledge, history and beliefs, as well as perception about humanity and world at that time. Such evidence has been found in many works of masters, such as DaVinci and Picasso’s figure, landscape or still life pieces.
Today we live in a world where almost every material on this planet has been altered by mankind and hardly any nature exists. Despite the artist’s intension, meaningless stuff, including our surroundings, urban, rural and natural, are mass-produced at a high speed due to mainly economic growth. Cragg refers this phenomenon as “uncomplicated economic utilitarian normality”. He even goes further and criticizes politicians that it’s the result of “economic exploitation unintelligence and simple laziness.” And it’s destroying cultures and nature with “simple parameters and dumb geometrics”.
Regardless, artists continue to address social and political issues by using art as a platform for alternative solutions. Artists help others dream the dreams and pursue them eventually, like landing on the moon. This is because artists have a way to make others to recognize and have a meaningful life. With that special skill, artists ought to be responsible for presenting their perceptions of reality and understanding the material, which makes us and our lives.
I believe that artists are dreamers, dream which we never stop dreaming. However, are we able to continue dreaming while more and more meaningless materials are being produced in the world? For example, (ugly) mini-malls, unattractive unified block structures (which nobody likes) throughout the United States. What about children in future? Where will their imaginations or dreams come from? It’s our duty as an artist to recognize such problems and present alternative solutions through artistic practices to create a vision and values for people (so that they are not in a hand of government or alike).
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