Art is in the Eye of the Beholder
What makes art, art? Why do we feel the way we do when it comes to art? Can anything that has meaning potentially be art? We begin to expand our perspectives on different art forms in the prep work assigned by Amanda.
Art is one of my favorite ways to express my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It takes on many mediums (haha, pun intended…get it? Because I’m posting this on Medium? *ba dum tissss*), so it isn’t limited to just drawing or painting. Art can be anything so long as there are thoughts, feelings, and/or emotions that go into making the work of art. It is completely open to interpretation and can be created by anyone. It just takes a little creativity and perspective to add to the overall effect of the art piece. In the prep work, there were multiple works of art to analyze and react to.
First: Shadow Puppetry
Shadow puppetry is seen as a sort of theater because the principle of theater is to express a narrative/meaning often through a medium that uses characters and settings to help the audience understand the message being conveyed. What is different (more than unusual) about this theater is that it doesn’t rely so much on outer appearance of the characters and uses silhouettes (rather shadows) to help tell the story. It is still equally as powerful of a medium to express the messages conveyed using a simple theme that doesn’t rely so much on emphasis on visuals as say regular theater and music video. In doing so, it makes the audience less prone to distraction of detail to focus on the core of the show, the meaning. This reminds me of a Bunraku, which is the Japanese shadow theater, I watched about the legend of Urashima Taro. It’s very well done. I would classify it as a candid, unedited cinema because it portrays a theme/narrative and runs with it until it reaches a final conclusion. Nothing can be edited out during the performance put on, which makes it candid. It can be considered a motion picture since the pictures are in motion. I feel that Bunraku is more so its own unique thing aside from/branches off cinema.
Second: Interactive Exhibit, Gardens Speak
Gardens Speak is different and new perspective on theatrical arts in how it takes the idea of an intimate black box theater (where actors can actually interact with the audience and immerse the audience in the play/musical) and making it even more intimate. By having the people involved and taking on the roles of the characters they are assigned as, mentally and physically, it adds a new dynamic to their experience, making it more dramatic, impactful, and emotional. It is strange in how immersive and intimate the exhibit makes the audience feel. I would probably do the exhibit because I haven’t experienced a theatrical exhibition in this fashion. It’s terrifying to be that intimate and immersed, but at the same time, that’s the thrill of it.
Third: Worktable Image
Looking at the image, I feel kind of anxious. It just reminds me of a bad day where my watch finally stopped ticking and I didn’t realize I was late for an important scheduled appointment. In a sense, what I get from it is that I really have to get it together (the watch and my life) and get back on track. It’s hard to do so when you rely on things that may eventually break. I consider this as a form of art because someone created this with some sort of intention and message to be conveyed. What is conveyed is determinant on the audience and their background, so what I may see as one thing may be something completely different for someone else.
