FTC pt.3

The Finer Things Club last night started off pretty intense. It really has to do with who's there and the atmosphere and the mood that can induce deep intellectual discussions. The group consisted of me, Bella, Jay, Okey, Rosie, and Michael. Ian was too busy doing once-in-a-lifetime stuff like chasing tornadoes. No internet at Sahara so we couldn't skype him in.

We started off talking about art, high art versus low art, what is art nowadays? how can you draw that blurry line between art and bullshit? etc. There was this art student who induced pregnancies and subsequently abortions on herself, then used the blood to make art. She didn't really use blood, but it was meant to stir controversy and promote discussions about abortion. I recently read an article talking about this exact thing, how artists are trying to send a message in their work, but using unethical or inappropriate tactics. There was a man who found a starving dog on the street, chained him to an art gallery and let it die. I can see this as art. I can see this as a very strong and emotional comment on homelessness. The dog might have died anyway on the street but the very fact that each moment of it's death is there in plain view is just so much more direct and effective.

This reminded me of when Ian showed me "Primitive Welcome". It was cool but I didn't get it.The he explained his meaning behind it. It got me thinking; What is the interpretation of art by the viewer? By the artist's intentions? My opinion is, this can be skewed either way, but the artist's intention is so much more valid. For example, in Fahrenheit 451, we were taught that this book was about censorship. Lockhart went on and on about censorship and how it's the cause of all misfortunes for the character and the root of his dystopian community. Alright, I could see that. But I felt as though that was not the focus of the book. Months after reading Fahrenheit 451, there was an article published where Ray Bradbury, the author, insisted that the book was not about censorship, but how television destroys literature. So what is the story about? I hate the idea of a "personal interpretation" because that just opens up too many windows for bullshit.

Then Shakar and Saiem showed up. We were at a total lack of decorum and I gave up trying to bring everyone back to FTC mode. It turned into a fun relaxed dinner so it was still good.

Anyway, art... yeah. What do you think?