In continuation of my new project, Ryan Mulligan, an artist from Richmond, Virginia, chimes in with his thoughts on the word "originality." Ryan, in addition to being a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University, publishes an art blog titled MUGSYTHEBEAR. If you are an artist, or know an artist, who would like to participate in this effort, please email me.
before Pigs can fly (video still)
Video
Ryan Mulligan: Originality
The three words I dread when people talk about my work are: interesting, neat, or "really original."
The word I keep using to describe art that intrigues me is “smart.” Somehow smart applies to an art that holds me in question for a few seconds then lets me wander in my head for a while. Smart works do not rely on originality but can at times apear to possess it. I am not interested in original "works" as much as original "thought". The ideas that emanate a zeitgeist or contemporary focus hold me. Work that feels fresh and alive in the moment keeps drawing me back.
Brecht admits to using Cabaret skits in his major plays and theatre productions. Eon Flux ripped off Egon Schiele’s nudes. The Coen Brothers stole the idea for “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” from a movie made during the depression. Wes Anderson admits to using almost exact copies of scenes and edits for parts of his films. And all these things don’t bother me. Let them rip each other off, let them build a language of reused words and reused images. As one teacher of mine once said, “Don’t worry about someone stealing your ideas. You will have more.”
In Richmond Virginia styles and ideas are swapped around like CD’s, or books. Lectures cause almost immediate style and idea revolutions within the school. One stroke, or technique will be added to a repertoire and then spawn out through a class. Every year it seems that painters tape has a three-week life span in basic painting classes. People realize that they too can make hard edge paintings. As far as the actual Richmond Art Scene originality is not an appropriate word choice. Most if not all gallery showcases are so booked that shows have a wait period of 3-9 months. By that time the artist has had plenty of time to review, revise, rework, and kill the originality of ideas presented. Is there one specific style to the city? No. But there are definitive trends and consistent choices that can be seen through a majority of the regional works.
If, by this thinking, the only original thing you can do is make ideas. Then perhaps those are the things that must be spread. The ideas and concepts should be pushed by any means necessary. Give them away, let others use them. That is one of my favorite aspects of teaching. The freedom to give others ideas that they can run with. Then again this idea isn’t very original but perhaps that doesn’t matter in the first place. Perhaps the repeating and rebuilding from a tradition is what allows our dialogue to continue. Through the accumulation of stolen idea after another we continue the game in art. It isn’t original but it is exciting.
Stolen tape from students for a tape tower
Sculpture
Previous Posts:
Hey ryan hit me up... In Indiana.. Third year grad student.. Rem... Heide's honors painting... TUBE LUCK! dcdawny@yahoo.com
Posted by: Dawn Whetzel | Tuesday, October 25, 2005 at 12:22 PM