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November 5, 2001
The role of artists is to help us understand what has happened, why, and to
think about solutions. They deal with emotions and understanding. I have done
a short 3D movie about wtc attack: http://mapage.noos.fr/lolicht/WTC-1.html
October 29, 2001
All terrorists are artists. All artists are not terrorists.
October 24, 2001
Only in that whatever one was before, one becomes more of now. After days of
silence lost in the sadness of the events of the past many weeks, it gives me
great pleasure to begin to come back to life, and remember how in love with
painting I am. I love color more than ever. I am deeply sorry for the suffering
and loss. Never did I ever believe such a thing could happen, and I remain stunned.
Although my painting has been affected, I am working to commemorate in paint
what this time has been. As an artist this means that the timing speeds up,
that the drive to grow and expand inventive ideas is based on keeping hopeful
during hardship, not living in fear, but transcending it. I cannot paint from
fear, but I can express the horror of the deed and make it become an invention
from keeping hopeful. I am a painter of space and light, two ephemeral elements
that transcend object. The wave of horror sat heavily in my body at first, like
concrete, but now is taking form through color as a source of light. At least
for now, there are the trees and the mountains and the clouds and the wind before
and on me, and I can respond to their magnitude, instead of living in fear,
or focusing on the destruction by the hand of man. I am not about to push a
political image onto the canvas. My painting is more complex and doubled-meaning
than relaying current events. I need time to incubate thoughts, feelings, ideas,
that later become powerful inventions. I have new color relationships that become
shapes I have never known before. That makes for an exciting creative time.
October 17, 2001
Yes, I am still alive.
October 7, 2001
I am convinced that the role of the artist is now, as always, to express, to
question, to explore, and create a venue for dialogue, and validation. The visual
language and aesthetic we develop is an integral part of the extraordinary and
complex cultural, social, political landscape of our times. I strive to use
my creative voice to articulate, to heal, to reflect and transmute the joys
and anguish of this very, very dificult earthwalk.
robin holder, new york city
October 7, 2001
The meaning of art is always changing and will continue to change. There are
certain things that happen -historically- which produce major paradigm shifts
and Sept 11. is one of them. What precisely will shift is difficult to predict.
I imagine it will have something to do will self-reflection and mortality.
October 5, 2001
Suddenly today I came again across one of the great essays of our time: William
Faulkners acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize. He answers this question, I
think, for all of us - writers, visual artists, performers, choreographers,
composers, and so on. Here are two passages, although I recommend everyone try
to find the whole thing and read it; it is only 600 words, but they are six
hundred great words:
...Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained
by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit.
There is only the question: When will I be blown up? Because of this, the young
man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in
conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is
worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat. He must learn them again.
He must teach imself that the basest of all things is to be afraid; and, teaching
himself that, forget it forever, leaving no room in his workshop for anything
but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking
which any story is ephemeral and doomed -- love and honor and pity and pride
and compassion and sacrificeÖ.Until he relearns these things he will write as
though he stood among and watched the end of man.....I believe that man will
not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among
creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable
of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poets, the writers, duty is to
write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting
his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and
compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The
poets voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props,
the pillars to help him endure and prevail...-- Abigail R. Esman
October 5, 2001
2. The role of the artist has not changed since it is always that of the mirror
of society and its predictor of fate. Going to the studio, the artist should
expect nothing beyond witness and recorder. The world has shifted and the reflection
is very difficult to focus upon, yet it is the role of the artist to meet that
need. WTC World View artists may feel such an affinity with the space which
no longer exists and that their work may probably be directly related in one
way or another to September 11th and each other for the rest of their lives.
I met several of the artists during Americans for the Arts conference in late
July and took polaroids of their spaces at 92 and 91 floor. During August I
left the photos by my computer and often looked at the images - but until I
heard that most members were safe, I could not view the images. I hope to share
whatever may be needed of these photos in order to provide some lasting documentation
of their lives as they were prior to these tragic events. I may have Michael
Richards in profile against the WTC windows that day - and wish him God speed
and peace to his family/friends. ISK
October 5, 2001
I think not, but perhaps because of the attacks we have a need to define things
more clearly, maybe it makes us feel more secure in face of uncertainty, or
gives a sense of purpose to a life that now seems so fragile. Make your visual
ěvoiceî heard as well, contribute to: the ART project: Artists Respond to Terrorism:
a dialogue for those who react with images as opposed to words: www.meledandri.com/theartproject.htm.
In times of tragedy, such as we are living in now, art is of the utmost importance.
Some of it will heal, some will provide hope, some will convey anger, some grief
and some a political message, it is all important.
October 3, 2001
It was helpful to read these answers. There are more on the question: What is
the job of the artist in times like these? at http://www.studionotes.org/TimesLikeThese.html
October 3, 2001
I have always thought that the role of the artist was to mirror the world around
and within us. Whether it is offensive or not. I think that this is still the
role of the artist. However, in the US and western world I think our artwork
will change. We have woken up.
Julie Peppito
ps. Thankfully some of us were already awake, but not nearly enough.
October 2, 2001
Yes- forever.
My name is Ralph Wolf. A show of my paintings opened at the Judi Rotenberg Gallery
in Boston on September 6th. On Tuesday the 11th I received a phone call from
the gallery that Judi\'s husband, Richard, was killed on Flight 11. Their daughter
Abi is the director of the gallery.
October 1, 2001
Mr bin laden, the greatest art director for huge art happenings.
>>All Stockhausen-Concerts in Hamburg planned for this week have been postponed
by the organizers immediately. The reason is a remark the composer made today
on his press conference, referring to the attack on the World Trade Center.
According to the German news agency dpa Stockhausen said: What had happened
there, is - now you have to convert your brain the greatest artwork, which has
ever existed. That human minds can fulfill something in one act, what we could
not dream of in music, that people are rehearsing like mad during ten years,
completely fanatic, for one concert and then die, that is the greatest artwork
which has ever been existing for the whole cosmos. I could not do that. We as
composers are nothing against that.<<
October 1, 2001
Attacks on liberty are made by people who only believe in one thing. Art has
no one role or artists are not any one thing.
--Rex Bruce
October 1, 2001
This question is predicated by two interesting notions. The first is that artists
have or ever had one particular role. The second notion is that the term THE
ARTIST has some one definable quantity. My response is that everything is in
a constant state of change. There are those of us who certainly are met with
the challenge of bringing our talents to bear on such deep and nearly unfathomable
events as occured on September 11, and those of us whose art functions differently,
and the multiplicity of difference is not limited by anything.
September 29, 2001
Has the role of the artist changed?--NO. Artists are products of their society,
and reflect or challenge their societies concerns, fears, taboos and definitions
of beauty. Political concerns have always been a part of art works, whether
they are subsumed or overt. This event has made artists, their artworks, and
their interactions with the world even more relevant.
September 28, 2001
After the attacks, I discovered that I had lost interest in the projects I was
doing. All of a sudden I wanted to do peace-related work. The other stuff just
did not seem as important anymore.
September 28, 2001
Hmm, maybe now they will be thinking about benefits packages with life insurance.
The role of the good artist never changes. This role is a relationship, its
never static anyways. Something constantly influx in the first place would seem
not to have the opportunity or leisure to change suddenly. My recommendation;
start grooming yourselves. Spend a little time looking in the mirror for vanities
sake and so you do not have to watch yourself in the shop windows when your
walking down the street. That is tacky, really.
September
28, 2001
The role of the artist has not changed, in my view. The role
of the artist, in the most general sense, is to maintain a heightened sensitivity
to self and environment, and to express that special sensitivity. Why would
the role of an artist change because of a violent attack on the US? And by the
way, most of us artists know that the US has been doing more or less the same
to Others for a long long time. Nina Menkes
September
28, 2001 September 27, 2001 September 27, 2001 September 27, 2001 September 26, 2001
It is very dangerous to react too quickly as an artist to cataclysmic
events. I prefer to advocate a slower process of reflection on what artists
in the past have done during war time, for we are already at war and posting
pompous assessments of government on line presumes that war has not really started...an
informed resistance to militarism and kneejerk politics may emerge from a study
of the many ways that artists and intellectuals involved themselves in previous
resistance movements during WWII and the Vietnam War.
The role of the artist is autonomous. To ascribe a role would be hierarchal
which is the antithesis of creativity and art. It is frightening to think that
every artist would be responsible to bear witness to the recent events.
no, the ALLOWED role of artists is still to buttress up the fascist polarity
needed to keep the charade running. I call it the Lotto model; the mythology
of heroic struggle for the select few with a DEEP BURNING VISION TO EXPRESS
(yeah yeah yeah, yawn), everybody sequestered away in their dark studios, fighting
to release the light, and the one little spermy that gets through gets more
prize than it knows what to do with. Follow the money; it is mostly hype and
fluff, a smokescreen.
Anybody that wants to can be an artist, get over it; for some it is easier than
others, but still. And art does not need to be this esoteric prissy thing, all
smug on its throne. It does not even need to be called ART, just everybody make
stuff all the time, cover every surface, learn how to see and THINK, instead
of sit around waiting for a loaded spoon to flutter by.
95% of the people are spectators, and the few that actually dare to create can
look forward to little more than a life of ridicule and financial instability
-Piss Clear, the alternative daily of Burning Man.
a few people are curious, but after the rubble is clear, all these ground-zero
heroes are going back in the holster until another emergency arises; they would
WAY more rather direct their fascination towards organized sports and pre-packaged
dogma (God is Still on Our Side!) than anything substantial, and could not care
less about Art.
and any art that needs six paragraphs next to it in order to exist is half-assed
and self-indulgent. If it does not stand on its own then it just adds to the
problem. Make anything you want, really have a ball, but when you cross the
line into Presentation it better be on point or it is noise.
September 27, 2001
No. The artists will likely change the way in which they present their art.
I suspect that film, video and the like, will get less graphic and still imagery
get more graphic.
As far as the role of the artist - the same thing –I have never believed
there is a particular role or even set of roles to play out. It is much more
complex than that. Alan Sondheim
In the next few weeks and months, I feel an imperative to address, confront,
express the feelings and memories surrounding this event. I know I am not alone
in this endeavor. There is a necessity to making art I have not witnessed before.
It may not be Great Art or even good art but it is nevertheless necessary art.