Response for pages 132-192
According to the authors, “The waning of unique artwork comes about through processes of replication and repetition of images,” as “repetition has become ubiquitous in contemporary art” (168). This rings true to me, and makes an artist wonder if their work is truly original. Can anything be truly original in today’s age? Clearly, everything has not been done, and there are endless possibilities, but the idea of recycling definitely comes up in installation art. Vilem Flusser believes we live in a society of recycling (133). On the field trip, Claude Zervas recounted the story of his friend spending countless hours chipping away at a wood piece, only to discover in a book that an Italian artist had done the same exact project years ago. He also admitted that it is important to see what’s out there, so as not to copy others. This is an issue that artists struggle with today.
Many artists have stopped “commenting on grand narratives, preferring to focus on the story of the everyday,” and have attempted “to question existing systems through more private and individual means” (132). I think this makes an installation more personal and therefore easier for the viewer to relate to it.
