Japanese art tea. Last comments.

[mark sottilaro <msottila@mailbox.syr.edu>]

Lance Glover wrote:

>Right on that. Your reasoning reminds me of the duller art history
>classes I took in college many years ago.

Not my reasoning, my friend, the reasoning of pretty much the entire art
world.  Perhaps you should have tried to pay more attention in your duller
classes, you might have learned something.  I have studied both Western and
non Western theories of art, and for the last 100 years, or so, this 
theory is
pretty much accepted world wide.

>in fact, the Japanese tea ceremony is enriched by a depth of cultural 
>association
>which is likely beyond the comprehension of most Westerners.

Thanks for unknowingly furthering the argument.  Any Japanese person will
admit that the Japanese tea ceremony is NOT about the consumption of tea 
and
that is precisely why is it fine art.  This is a very fine and subtle 
point,
but a very important one.  I could make a video that depicts the making and
serving of french fries (I just did one of a friend cleaning fish he had
caught), couple it with the serving of french fries, and call it a 
performance
art piece and no one would counter that.  If I present the same info in a 
"how
to make and serve good french fries" instructional video, it ceases to be 
art
and becomes craft.  Am I making sense?  I recently made a video about 
raising
a Tamagotchi (cyber pet) and I would definitely call it a fine art piece. 
However, you could use the same footage and present it in a totally 
different
way and it could become a commercial for the toy.  The difference is that 
my
video doesn't try to accomplish anything except to show my feelings toward
this pop cultural phenomena.  The commercial is trying to describe and sell
the product.  The Japanese tea ceremony is about the beautiful movement of
humans, the tea could be anything, it could be CokeĻ and not change the 
piece
at all.  Get it?

<there is even an art piece masquerading as a "Museum of Jurassic 
Technology".
If you look around
<the "art world" today, I think you will find these solid demarcations so
<obvious to you as merely scratches in the dust being rapidly obliterated
<by the winds of change.

Again, these pieces are not about themselves, but are commentary about the 
art
world, as was Duchamp's urinal.  Thus they art fine art.

Good night folks, you can get the rest at your local library... (and I 
suggest
you do.)

Mark