February 4, 2008
The Accidental Gentrifist - The Remora Culture: Sub-Urban Planning for the Homeless Organic
Editors’ Note: The opinions and ideas expressed in The Accidental Gentrifist are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the outlook or beliefs of anyone else in the Ist network.
The greatest co-opt of Austinite achievement may well test the truism that there is a good fucking reason artists aren't urban planners. It’s called: well, it’s called art.
Villa Muse. Yeah, I get the concept. Reminds me of: “unsinkable.”
When artists or writers congregate, it tends to be a fairly organic affair. Artists live in the world. Kerouac-Burroughs-Ginsberg didn't happen because they lived in a planned beatnik community. Matisse-Picasso didn't start up because they kept running into each other at the Starbucks on their block.
As long as we’re at it, lets cage wind. Lets corral dust.
Come on.
Prediction: Within ten years, Villa Muse will be
a.) a ghost town / monument to titanic folly
b.) a successful, well-financed den of hermetic mediocrity.
c.) remember Villa Muse?
Or: Within 12 years, Blanco/Luckenbach/Praha will be the cool new town for Central Texan artists. You know, to get away from the sell-out plasticity of Austin.
Art needs isolation. Arts needs something to work against. Art needs to eat the food that fell on the floor, because there ain’t no more money for anything but cigarettes and new brushes. Art needs to drink a ¾-full bottle of Cutty Sark and have its stomach pumped in view of its sobbing girlfriend. Who will, it should be noted, probably be the one who pays the hospital bill.
But then, movies aren’t art. At least not when their budget exceeds the national debt of Gambia. And that is what we’re talking about, isn’t it? When we say we want to be “competitive,” it never really sounds like we’re talking about taking the artistic high roads.
Of course not. Because: art don’t play that way. …But money does.
The plan to expand this lead balloon into a “residential community” makes me want to gag on my Vonnegut. But wait: There’s also retail. I know, I know. Just what we needed. The Triangle and The Domain are just chartreuse with envy.
I mean, this is just fucking genius. Austin was a smallish town that nonetheless had a quintessential quality that attracted and retained some of the most progressive and artistic minds. Celebrities could come here and get treated like normal people, often because we were too stoned or too preoccupied with our screenplay-in-progress to recognize them. At any rate, this is not an attempt to galvanize what we had going for us, but rather the latest ploy of many to capitalize on it. Like the disaffected grunge movement. Nobody could really find a way to bank off it, at least not until Ethan Hawke and Eddy Vedder came along. Then the music and film execs got a hard-on so big, it bumped into Kurt Cobain’s elbow while he was cleaning his shotgun.
I’m no stranger to the technological marvel that is the 21st century. But it always leaves me with the same question: With the staggering number of pornographic outlets currently populating the internet, how many fathers accidentally stumble across free video samples of their daughters allowing tribal-tattooed men to do unspeakable things to their no-no holes? I’d imagine the number is larger than any of us would really like to consider. And, I’d imagine, that’s the feeling all you “original” Austinites are going to feel welling up inside yourselves when you return to the post-Villa Muse Austin, circa 2012.
But I guess that’s just the way the world moves. Elliott Smith: Everybody’s dying just to get the disease.
The “cross-pollination” idea is perhaps the most odious to me. The idea that a film or a video game or Best Buy commercial can be made through one-stop shopping is fine, from a technological perspective. But how many Slackers is this going to produce? How Many It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books? How many Daniel Johnstons?
Yes, the technological and design and post-production aspects of this Fantasy Island are great. If that’s what you’re in for. Just, please don’t pretend it’s going to be anything other than a styrofoam culture factory on any other level. No one who does 100% of their ‘art’ on a Macintosh has any need of (or desire for) a “muse.”
Nothing has ever been done in the name of art or culture that comes tandem with an impact report citing an increase in property values.
I am completely confident these guys can recreate an up-to-date Universal Studios with all the local charm of the Austin-Bergstrom gift shop— all I’d ask is that you drop the pretense that this venture has any artistic credibility whatsoever.
Austin is a dusty bottle of wine. Villa Muse is Two-buck Chuck. Austin is living with roommates and sleeping on floors for ten years in order to get your band together. Villa Muse is watching a movie about it. Austin is unprotected sex on a sweat-soaked summer night with an anonymous 23-year-old after skinny-dipping in the LBJ fountain. Villa Muse is an overpriced handjob from an escort wearing an earpiece so she can still hear the end of the Tennessee Titans game.
And, shit. Change the name. It’s insulting to those of us still superstitious enough to believe in muses. (Who are real, by the way, and wouldn’t fuck any of the Villa Muse boys with a borrowed vagina.)
VM: Because it’s patently clear you’ve forgotten what a ‘muse’ is, actually, I’ve taken it upon myself to stick up for their honor, chiefly by preparing the following visual:
People Who Need/ed Muses on a Daily Basis:
People Who Haven't Needed a Muse in 2+ Decades:
|
Thank you. I yelled at someone about Villa Moose this past weekend and it struck me, there's nothing artistic to be done there so why am I offended? It'll just be one big wannabe Hollywood circle jerk which is great because it will corral all of those people into one big doo-doo hole. They're happy, we're happy, everybody happy!
My folks' farm is a stone's throw away from Villa Muse. So close, in fact, that they're very worried about the noise & traffic that'll be caused by the VM Amphitheater.
Did you know that, in addition to family-owned pecan orchards, there are also $80k houses going up a stone's throw away from Villa Muse? Did you know that many of the folks displaced by the gentrification of East Austin live in developments on 969? Did you know that, in addition to "green living" developments like Agave, you also pass a prison, a water treatment plant (read: sewage), a junk yard, and several mobile home parks on your drive from downtown to Villa Muse?
And speaking of driving -- there is ONE WAY from Villa Muse (and all the other new housing developments in that area) to downtown Austin: FM969 / MLK Blvd. So the "15-20 minute drive" will take a hell of a lot longer than that during certain times of day.
I wonder.... Will the famous and moneyed artists who are supposedly going to flock to Villa Muse be so keen on buying once they realize who their neighbors are?
My folks love living out there. But they're old school Austinites...not movie moguls.
But it's ART, Jooley Ann. Art. Art stops for no man. What are people's lives in the face of Art like Freddy Vs. Shrek?
Commoditization and blind hero worship are two of America's deepest sins against the idea/ideals of artistic expression. Hollywood is simply the blatant combining of those two sins. VM is little more than a franchise of that sinful combination.
However, I don't think the whole idea is horrible.
If it brings jobs to the area and makes people happy through speedy entertainment production, then so be it. But I agree that regardless of its potential to do 'good' for Austin's economy or the entertainment industry as a whole, VM should never be considered an artistic venture. It's economic. And it isn't fair to any 'real' artists out there (wherever they may be) to allow a whole industry of simple manufacturing to co-opt the term strictly for economic gain.
What are the ideas and ideals of artistic expression?
Nice. Yeah, I stepped right into with that phrase, didn't I? Lobbed that right up, real lazy-like. Might as well have thrown religion and politics in there too, eh? Just to clear things up?
Everyone will likely have their own opinion on the definition, but I like to consider it simply: honest, uncompromised, un-co-opted, and unfunded. As long as there's some sort of higher concept involved, then the only remaining questions are related to technical quality and subjective interpretation.
That's how I see the idea, and also the ideal of artistic expression.
It's actually easier to deal in examples of what is obviously NOT an artistic idea or ideal, rather than pointing to ones which obviously are. It's something of a definition by exclusion, I suppose, based on intent.
Fuck, this shit's pretentious.
I just wondered what you thought and I didn't expect you to have the answer, but that one is nice enough.
I don't think 'pretentious' is the same thing as 'hard to pin down.' Because, let's face it, art is a lot of things, but it isn't Rowdy Roddy Piper.
And, that's part of the reason it’s given so many of us (but not me or you) careers: It cannot be defined. (Thank you very much, Monsieur Duchamp.)
However, I must take exception to "uncompromised, un-co-opted, and unfunded."
Rebuttals:
Uncompromised: Half the postmodernist have to know, by now, that most art is a con job.
Un-co-opted: Pop Art. Exhibits A & B: Lichtenstein and Warhol. Their work was both co-opted and (probably) meant to be co-opted.
Unfunded: NEA grants, the MacArthur Prize, and (to a lesser extent) the Nobel Prize ultimately translate into dollars because that is the only universal, uncontestable reward.
Summary: True that money is not the greatest reward for art. But artists live in the world with regular humans, and regular humans usually understand money. Artists are also humans. So a monetary reward is at least one point, besides alcoholism, upon which artists can meet the rest of the world, and perchance be understood by them. Finally, as an artist, money lets you work. Money means ‘more art.’ Money means ‘art = career.’
Ben,
On compromise: Perhaps all of what is commonly referred to as "postmodernist art" is a total trick. I don't know. It's hard for me to tell, really. But if it is, then I'm not convinced that it's compromised. If the point was to "trick", then there's no compromise whatsoever. It's more that the art of it isn't in the piece itself, but in it's acceptance (back to Duchamp and his urinal). I believe a "con job" by definition isn't compromised. In order for a confidence scheme to work out, the control must be totally one-sided, regardless of how things appear. So even if postmodernist art is a con, it isn't compromised by that intent (but maybe compromised by other things, making it not-really-art, but not the con part).
On co-optation: Once an artistic idea or ideal is co-opted (NOT a particular piece, like how "Revolution" was used in a Nike commercial, but a total idea or ideal, like that behind the songs produced by the Beatles at the time), then it no longer has artistic integrity because it's purpose has been redirected (for market reasons, usually).
Warhol's work was never co-opted because it never needed to be (notice that I call it 'work', not 'art'). In fact, I would argue that both Lichtenstein and Warhol co-opted other forms of media to create their work, and not the other way around. Their ideas and ideals were beyond the physical stuff they made, which were simply symptoms of the idea/ideal (the definition of which could be argued forever onward). For an example of obvious co-optation see: Hip-Hop.
On funding: I was thinking more along the lines of commissioned work, but I see what you're saying there. I feel strongly that a modern, civilized society can and will place a priority on the perpetuation of artistic endeavors. That's where the grants come in. Agreed.
Beyond that, I understand that not all artists can land grants, and they need to make a living somehow. But I have to say that if the primary source of inspiration for the creation of something, anything, is to make money, then it's completely vacant and uninteresting outside of its actual function (unless by total accident, which happens), or maybe nostalgia. Like a car, Mach-IX razor, or a baseball card.
I'm probably preaching to the choir on that last point, but I'll make it anyway.
With every year that passes, more and more people can look at a Warhol and say, "That dude was a no-talent hack".
truecraig is right on.
LoudMouth, whatever. I'm guessing, by your statement, that you've never been in a gallery/museum with a large number of his works, nor looked very deep into his life or the context of his work. For the record, I was the one who said his revolution resulted in art being a 'con job,' but "no talent hack?" You are out of your mind, and if pressed, I don't think you could back it up.
Craig, Warhol is probably the mostco-opted artist ever. (See back page of the latest National Geographic—and that's just what shows up in my bathroom.)
The control is one-sided. Galleries and dealers set the price. Many collectors, if not most, don't seem to be well-rounded experts on art, and only influence price by how much they're willing to bid, often to buy an artist's work, and not the work of an artist, if you follow me. I buy ‘a McCullough.’ I don't, necessarily, buy McCullough's "Rapeseed at High Noon." No matter what one sells, one sells one’s self.
Finally, I think the amorphous understanding of art and the big dollars, and ubiquitous scandal and substance issues and ego almost guarantee compromise. Basquiat, Pollack, Van Gough. These were not joyful people, not universally, and they were, to a large extent, pinnacles of achievement. Picasso and Warhol were exceptions, and got off easy. The rest pay for their Faustian bargains. That's part of the compromise. The rest is that one's self cannot lietrally be sold. And yet the name, or style,is on the cnavas. So the artist must invent a self to sell.
Many of the greatest artworks in history, from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to Rothko's Seagram murals, were done on commission. If you don't think Warhol is "art," your aesthetic understanding will never get past Picasso (assuming you got to Picasso). If you think art in inapposite to money, then perhaps you should read Sponsorship: The Fine Art Of Corporate Sponsorship/the Corporate Sponsorship Of Fine Art by Ryan McGinness, which includes essays on the topic by several successful artists working today. Or, go see the current Takashi Murakami show at MOCA in L.A. With a few exceptions, great artists are able to make money with their art.
Benji, whatever. I saw what you saw, the AMOA exhibit, but unlike you I didn't walk in there with the attitude that History has told me this man was a great painter. I walked in there, judged his works on their own merits, and saw that the work was severely lacking on its own. Combined with the fact that the man didn't even create those works makes what he did a farce at best. But that's the beauty of art. I can't say definitively that the man was a hack and you can't say definitely that he was a genius. I was just encouraged by hearing the constant rumbling of, "What's the point and who gives a shit?" when looking at Warhol's work.
I thought the joint was for music videos and the like.
Just trying to keep a little perspective...
LoudMouth, you sound like someone saying "Copernicus was a hack - obviously the Earth moves around the sun. He didn't contribute shit to science." Warhol is important because his art changed our perception. His influence has been so pervasive that it is impossible to imagine what the world would be like without him. You underestimate him because his art is so fundamental that it seems rudimentary.
Well gee, since we're playing that game, I guess Hitler should be regarded as the V.I.P. to the Civil Rights Movement and should be celebrated since without him nobody would have come to the realization that predjudice is wrong.
Ben, to say that knock-offs of Warhol's work amount to co-opting is a bit confusing to me. He worked primarily in iconography (what he's most known for) and the explosion of the mundane (what he's likely most celebrated for), which is pretty much a quick definition of marketing/advertising. And he was damned good at it.
So, when someone uses his work (or something blatantly similar to it) to advertise a product or promote a new whatever, who is actually co-opting who? Personally, I think Warhol wins there. From the grave, it’s like he’s continuing to co-opt more and more communication mediums. Fucking brilliant, really. But I'm open to being wrong about that.
Shilli, I think it's dangerous to confuse what's accepted as art, versus what's made as art. It’s an obvious, but extremely important distinction.
That said, sure, there may be pieces made under commission which are probably truly inspired, and absolutely unhindered in any way by overt pressures from the patron, or internal pressure from the artist to do as they believed their patron wanted. But there’s no way to know that, so it’s pointless to discuss. What I can say is that anything made with absolutely no funding whatsoever has an infinitely higher potential to be honestly artistic than a commissioned piece. Why? Because in my experience, money ALWAYS comes with caveats, explicit or implied, because there’s a discreet exchange of value. I can’t think of an example where this would not be the case.
Which brings me to Ben’s other point about money. Yeah, in a sense, all art is compromised by the artist’s desire for food/fame/sex/raccoons/tricycles. But to take that to it’s logical/cynical conclusion and just assume that all art is done strictly for those reasons… well, that means everything "artistic" is as uninteresting as a can of Pepsi and makes all art ever made: absolute tritely whored-out shit. And we know that’s not true, simply because even if I, as an individual, don’t appreciate the aesthetics of a particular piece of art I can at least appreciate the humanity that’s expressed in it. And that humanity is never begging me for money. Unless the piece is an obvious hack-job.
Another important distinction:
The only time artists make money on art is when a marketer is involved (whether the artist doubles as a marketer is beside the point). Great marketers are able to make money with art, just as great collectors are able to make money with art (just as great car salesmen are able to make money with cars). Being an artist ('great' or otherwise) has nothing to do with making money on art. Most artists are dead anyway, and even their estates earn fuck-all (aside from those who were more business-savy). Labeling an artist as “successful” based on their income is using the laziest measuring stick available.
Just to beat the Warhol horse a bit more:
No, I don't think Warhol's individual pieces are "art" in the same sense as most. He was a very astute borrower/repackage-er and presenter of new angles on the things you thought you already understood completely. I feel that his processes, and certainly his work over a long period of time amounted to "art" in a larger sense (much, much larger than his individual pieces ever could) and his impact on later creative movements is an incalculable work of art in itself.
And that view has nothing to do with the ridiculously subjective nature behind judging aesthetics, or my aesthetic understanding of art in general.
Loud Mouth, you are so aptly named. But you haven't seen what I've seen.
Yes, I saw the Warhol at AMOA. (The 1970's NY modern stuff was one of their better shows.) But I've also been lucky enough to see his pieces at MOMA, SFMOMA, The Whitney, The Met, The Guggenheim, The National Gallery, Tate Modern in London, and one of the best collections, Chicago Contemporary. I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but you get the point.
I'm telling you, you don't know what you're talking about. The more you see, the more you'll see.
One of those truly boring TV channels, Ovation I think, has a show called "What Is Art?" or something just as stupid, that will make your blood boil if you watch it long enough. If nothing else, it will show you that:
1. Art critics live with their heads firmly planted up their asses and have no idea what is happening in art worlds today.
2. Everyone has got an opinion.
3. One person's opinions can change not only from artist to artist but across the same artist's work.
You can watch some guy from the New York Times defend some guy's assemblage of matchsticks as true art and then cut down Shepard Fairey because he wants to promote himself more than his art (which may be true, I don't know the guy). It's just all ridiculous.
The point is, they'll interview an artist who says, "I don't care if I make money off this, it's just what I do and I love doing it!" then they'll show a beautiful painting, then the Art In America critic who says, "This person's work is meaningless and they are not schooled nor are they famous so it's not ART." but who really matters in that situation? This shit is way to personal to be arguing over.
I've seen rooms full of Monets and that did nothing for me, Benji. Don't assume that just because you like red salsa I'm going to stop liking green.
Craig, I never meant to suggest Warhol 'lost' through the co-opt. But I do think you bring up a good point:
The changeable definition of what is art is at least partially the result of a push-pull between those who want to limit art, and those who want to expand it. (And why conversations that aim to define something indefinable always involve extremes, be it Duchamp or Elvis or the Holocaust.) The problem, as I see it, is that most of the people working to expand the definition of art are in fact artists, while most of the people trying to encapsulate it are not.
Finally, as a post-note, I think Warhol's contribution is akin to a modern-er Walter Benjamin—I don't think he worked to produce icons, so much as icons were his medium for producing replication itself. That is the change we're talking about here. It's an expansion of a term, and it's funny that the man's work appears 150 museums, yet people, 30 years later, are still trying to build a box around art, in order to leave people like Warhol and Duchamp on the outside, when they are in reality the saints and martyrs of progressive art, which is all art.
Oh my god. I don't even like Warhol, LM. I just think you're depriving yourself by writing off post-modernism. At least assume there's something there to be seen. It least entertain an argument contrary to the one you woke up with.
I see Warhol as a lightning rod for general/practical creativity, and a patron of contradictions. I DO see him as an artist. But not everything an artist makes is art. Some is experimentation. Some is accident. Some is indefinable, even to the artist. Sometimes shit means something, and sometimes it's just a turd that needs to be flushed. Why must it always be one or the other? (hero worship, again)
I can see your take on artists vs non-artists, but gallery owners don't usually care as much about keeping new forms of art OUT of the definition as much as they care about keeping the newest forms IN their gallery. They like new trends. They like to lead them.
It's also arguable that everything which ever existed (or will exist) is actually art, and that the only real question concerns quality.
I just don't like Warhol. I don't think he contributed much to Art History besides elevating serigraphy to easy-make-art. I find his work dull and feel encouraged when other people hate it just as I feel excited when other people vote the same as me and we elect someone I like or the Horns win. I don't really see why you have it in your mind that I must conform to your standards and tastes.
Warhol's got more guts than you've got shit and skin.
LoudMouth, I find your work dull. And frankly, I think your taste in salsa leaves a lot to be desired.
The sentence about Kurt Cobain is genius. I can't believe no one mentioned it. Stop thinking about Warhol for a minute and go back and read it. It will make you laugh. Good for the stomach muscles.