And thus comes to a close my first week of Sophomore year! It’s been a week - lots of good things, some bad things. Just regular life, I suppose. I haven’t been writing as much as I would like to, but I continue to read abundantly. It seems to be what makes me happy :) And I have been told that you need to read to write well, so I guess I will just keep reading. What have you been up to? (You can reply to this email if you would like to share!)
There are many topics and ideas I would like to talk write about from this week, but the one that stands out is simply this: Everything is Alive. Before you roll your eyes, let me explain.
My new studio teacher (!!) introduced us to a podcast - Everything is Alive - as inspirational material for our first project where we are exploring the world of readymades and found objects*. I think this is an interesting way to begin the school year, and an especially pertinent continuation of the reality of corona-time. Our new realities look like a lot more time is spent at home and for many, online, as well. This means we are now confronted more directly with all the stuff we own - the stuff we bought, inherited, found, or “borrowed”. We do these acts mindlessly most of the time; we fill our homes with things out of necessity, desire, or because we feel like it. Sometimes, we see something and immediately we feel like we should buy it (me). Other times, Google Ads determined you might like something based on your internet activity and thus very discreetly suggested it to you (also me). It seems to be in our nature to buy, accumulate, and keep things. But do we really appreciate what we have? Have we ever taken a moment to really look at the objects that surround us? To observe them and understand them - their meaning, their value, their role in our lives?
What if we did? What if we considered the objects that populate our homes and support our lifestyles as more than just fixed and soulless things? What if these objects had lives and minds of their own? Enter the above-mentioned podcast, Everything is Alive. It explores the life behind objects, or rather the life of objects. As the name suggests, everything is alive. Yes, even your toaster, the lamppost, or the fleeting cloud in the sky.
Every-thing, in the end, can be objectified and quantified. And what if we added “humanized” to that list? Literally gave life to objects? That is, in essence, what I believe the Readymade and Found Objects approaches aim to do in the art world. But it isn’t just about making something out of something that just exists. It’s fundamentally about changing our perspective on objects. Challenging our preconceived ideas of what objects are or should be. Repurposing is not just a method to create art. It is a way of thinking - and by extent living. So, as we all stay longer in our homes, I invite you to look around, observe your belongings and possessions. What are they saying? What are they thinking? Soon, you’ll realize you’re not the only thing that’s alive.
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*A readymade is a manufactured object that is chosen by the artist and interpreted into a work of art; it is a form of repurposing. A found object is also an object chosen by the artist and turned into a work of art, but in contrast to the readymade, it is not necessarily manufactured; it can be from the natural world. It is important to distinguish the two terms, as they are similar, but their circumstances of their creation and implications widely differ.