401.5

-What was the most challenging/confusing/different week to your own practice? 

"Performance art" is not in my repertoire, I don't understand Yoko Ono, and doing art without having a message is the most, well, boring. I hate it, and that's exactly her intent, controversy, and I hate that about it. Its beautiful. I understand that people have put their own meanings on it, vulnerability, feminism, sacrifice, generosity, power dynamics and peace.... So... Whats the message? Its a riddle with no answer. 

It's a piece I studied previously 20 years ago, and i didn't get it then either. And here it is again, and i STILL have feelings about it. What i found most interesting about it though, was reflection on the passage of time, and how their meanings (either purported or derived) might change. "Art critique" is not something i enjoy, as it asks "what was the artist thinking?" - How would I know?! Its infuriating. Art is the expression of ideas. What Yoko does still isnt art, and while i can hate it in that respect, it is thought provoking. Moreso, it allows further iteration on the ideas and allows a style to evolve and change. 

If Yoko Ono did "cut piece now", it would barely get a "view". Its just "baiting" that which internet trolls do to cause controversy, in its era. But would this even have been a thing unless Yoko did it first?

-What made it different?

My art has meaning that I give it, from they way each note is played, or the word used, to the brush stroke and colour selection. I dont just "let the user interpret it as they want". I dont cause controversy. I use it to send a message.

-How did you end up finding a way to create something based from that week/idea?

I took the "bait" aspect, and turned it into something positive, with a strong message.

-What did it offer you that you wouldn't have discovered about your creative idea/process without it?

All art is ephemeral with the march of time. The classics can be interpreted differently today than when they were made. Is this why dead artists are more popular? Regardless, this is why art critique is important, it serves as history and cements the idea of what was important in the era it was made.