Comments on: Innovation in Art

By: Azazel with tail X-Men First Class « BIG OTHER

Azazel with tail X-Men First Class « BIG OTHER — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:12:56 +0000

[...] and other lesser known authors and topics in literature and art, not to mention all sorts of critical theory, readers have mainly wanted to read my posts on Inception and Batman comics and X-Men movies—even [...]

By: A Guide to My Writing Here at Big Other « BIG OTHER

A Guide to My Writing Here at Big Other « BIG OTHER — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:09:00 +0000

[...] Innovation in Art — what is it? [...]

By: Why I Hate the Avant-Garde « BIG OTHER

Why I Hate the Avant-Garde « BIG OTHER — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 20:10:43 +0000

[...] post on the term “avant-garde”—I’ve already discussed this somewhat here, here and here, but to [...]

By: Seventeen Ways of Criticizing Inception (aka, All Knowledge Isn’t Equal) « BIG OTHER

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 01:48:24 +0000

[...] Innovation in Art: 2,015 views [...]

By: Seventeen Ways of Criticizing Inception « BIG OTHER

Seventeen Ways of Criticizing Inception « BIG OTHER — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:48:01 +0000

[...] same kind of backward reading, singling out allusions and steals and bits of direct inspiration. Because that is how art works; people don’t work in vacuums, inventing things out of whole cloth, but make things that [...]

By: What Is Experimental Art? « BIG OTHER

What Is Experimental Art? « BIG OTHER — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:51:45 +0000

[...] I’ve argued here and here—and hopefully have been able to demonstrate in both those places and elsewhere—one [...]

By: Innovation’s Altar « BIG OTHER

Innovation’s Altar « BIG OTHER — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:58:58 +0000

[...] by Malachi Black and this post by Ron Silliman (which were both partially responding to something I wrote regarding innovation): I find that one of the sticking points on this subject is that “innovation” is often [...]

By: Tiny Shocks Revisited « BIG OTHER

Tiny Shocks Revisited « BIG OTHER — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:08:49 +0000

[...] or defamiliarization). Again, see my original post for more on this; see also here, here, and here. Wood reduces this very powerful concept to personification, which I find extremely wrong-headed. [...]

By: Bill Barker

Bill Barker — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:31:04 +0000

Adam:

This is very bracing stuff.

I can’t write much now, but I wanted to echo your thoughts about finding an point of entry into art, whether that art is music or film or literature. It’s something I think about all the time as I make films. As I learn just how films get made (so much of it is just about taking care of people so they’re comfortable enough to apply a very specific set of skills), I see more clearly why so many screenplays hew to the “formula,” and why so many of my favorite films use genre as a point of departure (starting with one set of expectations and negotiating a new set).

Anyway, I’ll write more soon. Again, this is excellent: your page is now officially required reading, right there with Ebert’s journal.

By: Rob Stephenson

Rob Stephenson — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:56:35 +0000

Morton Feldman never hesitated to say that Cage was unsuccessful at removing himself from his work (and he would know). But Cage did try to remove aspects of personal taste in much of his music and had varying degrees of success.

I find that inconsistency is one of the most refreshing qualities of an artist and of human beings in general, but, of course, I can be completely infuriated by this very thing at times. HOW one is inconsistent is definitely worth consideration. Cage’s inconsistency certainly seems to have a very consistent underlying focus. One could say that he used extreme rigor (chance operations) to create situations where what is usually ignored is emphasized. I think Sondheim does something similar using the computer. Often the writing feels uninhabited, but then, when you least expect it…

Like you, my interests change over time, but I do return to things and re-contextualize them. In fact, when are we ever as artists NOT doing just that? (Can’t step in the same river twice?)

So I look forward to your silliness, Adam. Cage did say he preferred laughter to tears.

I’m suddenly getting a hankering to watch “Female Trouble.”