Ephemeral
art derives a great deal of its impact from the cognitive dissonance caused by its disturbance of well accepted dichotomies: the straightforward and the
esoteric, the living and the nonliving, and portraiture and performance. These
disturbances give the viewer more to reflect upon than just the work itself,
perhaps in the form of a heightened engagement in the moment, triggered by our
reluctance to accept the work as transient. But this response is more than just
instinctive; it has been imposed upon us by western culture. The vast majority
of art we were introduced to in our youth has been preserved almost
religiously. Museums serve to protect works as if they are relics, and
commotion ensues when these “relics” are compromised in any way. Such has been
the paradigm of western culture for hundreds of years (this undoubtedly contributes
to our response to iconoclasm in general). In stark contrast to our conditioned
reluctance to accept art as transient, some cultures embrace the natural
disintegration of artwork, as discussed in “Impermenant by design, the
ephemeral in Africa’s tradition based arts”.
Wood
is perhaps the material most associated with African tradition based art, and
is ephemeral in its nature, especially in Africa’s harsh tropical climate, which
gives rise to wood boring insects. One obvious reason for many artists
selecting wood as a medium is it’s convenience to acquire, however there is another quality of wood which makes it a popular choice despite its finite lifetime as a medium. Wood’s organic properties alone foster an inherent natural beauty which makes it an ideal choice for imitating life in the form of masks, figures, and other personal objects. As no living organism is immortal, the natural disintegration of wood also gives rise to a finite lifetime for the art which helps wood artwork to more accurately depict life.
The so called designer or fantasy coffins made by Ga Woodworkers in Ghana typify the inherent imitation of mortality that wooden ephemeral art embodies. The coffins’ fanciful forms of birds, fish, automobiles, boats, outboard motors, red peppers, lions, leopards, airplanes and, more recently, cell phones and cameras celebrate the work, accomplishments, and aspirations of the deceased. After a brief procession through town allowing people to view it, the coffin is then buried and hence obscured from view, and left to disintegrate, dust to dust, not unlike us as human beings. This not only adds to the beauty and mystique of such works of art, but also bears many deep philosophical implications.
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| Shoe Coffin, Ga Woodworks, Circa 2000 |
The so called designer or fantasy coffins made by Ga Woodworkers in Ghana typify the inherent imitation of mortality that wooden ephemeral art embodies. The coffins’ fanciful forms of birds, fish, automobiles, boats, outboard motors, red peppers, lions, leopards, airplanes and, more recently, cell phones and cameras celebrate the work, accomplishments, and aspirations of the deceased. After a brief procession through town allowing people to view it, the coffin is then buried and hence obscured from view, and left to disintegrate, dust to dust, not unlike us as human beings. This not only adds to the beauty and mystique of such works of art, but also bears many deep philosophical implications.
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| Airplane Coffin, Ga Woodworkers, Circa 2000 |
The ephemeral qualities present in the coffins as well as the countless other African works crafted from wood seem to reflect a more realistic viewpoint towards
death. Accepting artwork that depicts life as transient cultivates an increased
acknowledgment that we as humans are decaying organic material as well. Each coffin has great meaning while it is intact, and speaks to many
people during its lifetime. In the same way, we strive to develop meaning in
our lives, and share our ideas with others in our finite existence. This
observation alone gives ephemeral art an edifying quality not found in art that
is painstakingly preserved.
In
the instances where ephemeral art is used in Western culture, the
aforementioned edifying quality is usually a motivation. For instance, in
Esther Shalev-Gerz’s Monument Against Fascism, viewers are invited to scratch messages
into a lead pole as it is slowly lowered into the ground over the course of
seven years. This creates a dynamic work which is slowly but surely developing
while vanishing, symbolic of the vanishing people it serves to remember.
Similarly, in Project for a Memorial, Oscar Munoz paints faces on a hot cement
sidewalk as they evaporate in the sun, to depict the disappearing faces of numerous
individuals who disappeared under repressive regimes in South America.
All of the aforementioned examples commemorate their subjects while reminding us that physical death is truly inevitable. Both the works and the subjects live on purely in the hearts and minds of others. In the same way that the subjects of the works give them meaning which makes them memorable, the works help to expand the scope of those who commemorate the lives of the subjects. In this sense, they share a symbiotic relationship, further personifying the ephemeral. Intuition tells us that there cannot be death without life, and ephemeral art capitalizes on this fact. It seems both cultures are aware of this inherent advantage that ephemeral art has, however in Africa the desirability of this edifying quality seems to more frequently warrant sacrificing the illusion of immortality that we so often cling to in Western culture.
All of the aforementioned examples commemorate their subjects while reminding us that physical death is truly inevitable. Both the works and the subjects live on purely in the hearts and minds of others. In the same way that the subjects of the works give them meaning which makes them memorable, the works help to expand the scope of those who commemorate the lives of the subjects. In this sense, they share a symbiotic relationship, further personifying the ephemeral. Intuition tells us that there cannot be death without life, and ephemeral art capitalizes on this fact. It seems both cultures are aware of this inherent advantage that ephemeral art has, however in Africa the desirability of this edifying quality seems to more frequently warrant sacrificing the illusion of immortality that we so often cling to in Western culture.
Project for a Memorial, Oscar Munoz(2005)
By Thomas Hogan
Note: Revisions are indicated by light blue text
Sources:
Esther Shalev Gerz: Impermanence,
memory and the past are the hallmarks of work by this ‘artist’s artist’
Christopher Mooney
Framing the Ephemeral
Allyson Purpura
Impermanent by Design
The Ephemeral in
Africa’s Tradition-based arts
Christine Mullen
Kreamer
I think the public secret of a western interpretation of life being the obsession with immortality is an astonishing conclusion to be reached. However, I think this conclusion can be better evaluated by narrowing your scope. Instead of the broad topic of wood as an ephemeral medium, I think you should choose a specific ephemeral art object to critically evaluated.
ReplyDeleteA specific ephemeral art object that comes to mind is a Kongo Nail Figure. These wooden figurines were the source of divine knowledge for members of the community. Having encountered a problem, a nail would be placed in the figurine. After solving the problem the nail would be removed. This specific example of an object using the ephemeral medium of wood also maps out a unique modification over time. By refining your evaluation to a smaller sub topic you would provide further support for your excellent conclusion of the immortality of Westerners and the preservation agenda of the museum as an institution.
-Brittany Campbell
I think this is a good starting point for the reader to begin looking at art that gains meaning through its destruction. I would like to see more examples of works of art that use the decaying process of the wood as a important part of the piece. I agree with Brittany, stating that the medium of wood is a fairly broad topic. I would like to see a stronger connection between wood and the works of art you talked about. I like Oscar Munoz's work alot and I like the connection you made between between death, decaying wood and the lose felt from his cement paintings. there's an interesting connection between mortality and destructive art that you briefly discuss but I do think more can be said on this topic.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of ephemeral art before and the explanation was clear and easy to follow. However, I think you need to pick a specific piece of ephemeral art to focus on in order to enhance the meaning of the art, the effect it has on the public, and tie in the destruction of the art. The introduction is strong and sets up a good understanding of the topic but the end is short and doesn't really go into depth about the art pieces themselves. A specific example with more of a cultural background and destruction over time would be helpful. Overall, interesting topic!
ReplyDelete-Victoria Roberts