Cultural History and Theory - Philosophy and Theory

In this class we sought to answer the following questions:

How does art and design shape the world around us?

Why is this important?

What is an Artist?

Where I am positioned within the Art world?

Why what I have to say is important?

As a class we discussed the first three questions and decided that Art and design shapes the world around us by informing our perceptions of reality and thus our identity as individuals.  Using techniques used in propaganda and advertising, artists subtly make changes within our unconscious mind, leading to changes in our conscious mind.  We also discussed how exclusivity is used to create interest and desire in fashion. 

To me this discussion brought to mind Warren Ellis' "Transmetropolitan" where they had the concept of an Advertising bomb, which was advertising condensed into a split second that barely registered on the conscious mind, however when you closed your eyes to rest or sleep, the advertising played out in full.  To me this is how I think art and design shape our world, a lot of the time it barely registers but its influence I feel has a big effect on how we think and feel, even when, or perhaps especially when, we don't recognise the source.  Consider for instance the effect the interior design of our living space can have on our psyche.

So then what is an artist?

The answers we came up with as a class were:

- A producer of artifacts with specific meaning

- A builder of new ideas, and through that new realities

- Creates an expression of the world through a prism of culture

- A creator of new ways of perception

- A cultural creator who make deliberate decisions as to what is communicated and to whom

Having though about it I feel that an artist is someone who condenses and reformats information, and from this creates a psychological seed, that can then be unraveled to gain new understanding of the self, and through the self the environment and reality that is experienced.  I think this is really important as it gives both the artist and the audience the opportunity to experience something greater than themselves and expands their experience.

Where am I positioned in the artworld?

This is something I gave a lot of thought to, and the only answer I can come up with is that I am currently an Art student, currently only potential in relation to the artscene.  The place I will come to hold I have yet to discover.  It is through the process of self-reflection, discovery and expression that I feel I will find this place, and understand it in relation to that which is around it.  I also feel that it will be dynamic and changing in nature, as it cannot exist in isolation and the study is never really over and done with.  In summary I think that my place in the art world will evolve as I do as a person and become a reflection of what it means to me to be an artist.

Why is what I have to say important?

I believe I am important as no one has the same experiences as me, and so cannot see the world in the same way that I see it.  This does not in itself hold importance because it is true of everyone, but I think the difference is that I have the desire and the need to create based on these experiences and world view, and share that in a way that may be beneficial to the viewer.  That it might add to their experiences and broaden their view of the world and themselves.

I realise that this only defines me then as one of many creative people who share their view of the world, and I hold that my expression is no more important than any other form, in a general sense.  What may lack significance on a larger scale however may have great importance on a personal layer, and if one piece of my work reaches one person that benefits from it, then it becomes important in their life.

In the end, I have no control about what others view as important or not, only in what I value and so the main importance of myself and my work is to myself.