Time (Idea) 2/24

Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1987-90

Felix Gonzalez-Torres

two commercial clocks, 13.5" x 27" x 1"

Defined

time (tm)

n.

1.

a. A nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.

b. An interval separating two points on this continuum; a duration: a long time since the last war; passed the time reading.

c. A number, as of years, days, or minutes, representing such an interval: ran the course in a time just under four minutes.

d. A similar number representing a specific point on this continuum, reckoned in hours and minutes: checked her watch and recorded the time, 6:17 a.m.

e. A system by which such intervals are measured or such numbers are reckoned: solar time.

2.

a. An interval, especially a span of years, marked by similar events, conditions, or phenomena; an era. Often used in the plural: hard times; a time of troubles.

b. times The present with respect to prevailing conditions and trends: You must change with the times.

3. A suitable or opportune moment or season: a time for taking stock of one's life.

4.

a. Periods or a period designated for a given activity: harvest time; time for bed.

b. Periods or a period necessary or available for a given activity: I have no time for golf.

c. A period at one's disposal: Do you have time for a chat?

5. An appointed or fated moment, especially of death or giving birth: He died before his time. Her time is near.

6.

a. One of several instances: knocked three times; addressed Congress for the last time before retirement.

b. times Used to indicate the number of instances by which something is multiplied or divided: This tree is three times taller than that one. My library is many times smaller than hers.

7.

a. One's lifetime.

b. One's period of greatest activity or engagement.

c. A person's experience during a specific period or on a certain occasion: had a good time at the party.

8.

a. A period of military service.

b. A period of apprenticeship.

c. Informal A prison sentence.

9.

a. The customary period of work: hired for full time.

b. The period spent working.

c. The hourly pay rate: earned double time on Sundays.

10. The period during which a radio or television program or commercial is broadcast: "There's television time to buy" (Brad Goldstein).

11. The rate of speed of a measured activity: marching in double time.

12. Music

a. The meter of a musical pattern: three-quarter time.

b. The rate of speed at which a piece of music is played; the tempo.

13. Chiefly British The hour at which a pub closes.

14. Sports A time-out.

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or measuring time.

2. Constructed so as to operate at a particular moment: a time release.

3. Payable on a future date or dates.

4. Of or relating to installment buying: time payments.

tr.v. timed, tim·ing, times

1. To set the time for (an event or occasion).

2. To adjust to keep accurate time.

3. To adjust so that a force is applied or an action occurs at the desired time: timed his swing so as to hit the ball squarely.

4. To record the speed or duration of: time a runner.

5. To set or maintain the tempo, speed, or duration of: time a manufacturing process.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.




The expansive set of definitions for this one word, makes me question the ability to define it at all. If one word means so many different things, does it mean anything at all?



Quotations

"As the waves make toward the pebbled shore, so do our minutes hasten to their end"

William Shakespeare

"Each year is like a snake that swallows its tail"

Robert Penn Warren

Annotated Bibliography

Strate, Lance. "On the Binding Biases of Time: an Essay on General Semantics, Media Ecology, and the Past, Present, and Future of the Human Species. - Free Online Library." Free News, Magazines, Newspapers, Journals, Reference Articles and Classic Books - Free Online Library. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .

This essay discussed the idea of time in relation to the theory of relativity. Time as an overarching reality is very separate from individual perceptions of it, which vary from culture to culture, and species to species. Strate explains that the human perception of time is so far removed from any other organisms' because we can sense our mortality. All organisms are equipped with the ability and instinct to make copies of themselves in by reproduction, but humans make copies of their "wills" before death as well. This unequaled ability to measure our pending demise and psychologically interpret that measurement in terms of time is a gift as well as a sickness.



Relates

This idea relates to the work I have started to make incorporating video and the element of time into the discussion of evolution, preservation/obsolescence and measurement. When I started to make the video, I was not entirely clear what the element of time would do to the concept. I am still not quite sure of this in terms of the specific unfinished piece, however, I am grasping the nuances in the medium in relation to my concept better now. The definition of time is a lengthy one, and removed from the idea of the human perception of time and instinctual reactions of humans to this perception. These reactions are the basis for my concept. Human organisms reproduce to survive, but are also finding modern ways to literally reproduce themselves to literally survive. Cloning, stem cell research, etc. The unwillingness to accept mortality has led to a culture void of finality as well as understanding of such a terminal concept. The element of time, I am finding, is a very important piece of my concept, because it creates an environment in which the viewer can have sensory participation in humanity's race toward obsolescence.

Pipilotti Rist (Artist Post) 2/21

Work

Bio

Pipilotti Rist is a Swiss video artist, widely acclaimed for her music video-like pieces. Rist's video work examines issues such as sexuality, the female body and gender issues. Often times, the artist manipulates attributes of the video to distort the subject, which seems to emphasize the concept as well as implicate the viewer as to their role as a viewer of the subject. Rist's work has been exhibited worldwide, and was shown at the Venice Biennial.

Quotations

"Pipilotti Rist's lush multimedia installations playfully and provocatively merge fantasy and reality."

"MoMA | Pipilotti Rist: Pour Your Body Out (7354 Cubic Meters)." MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

"She doesn't want you to stand stiffly observing her art, but rather to relax and participate in it—walk through those tunnels, eat that apple! She provides the very best kind of evidence that in the 21st century, artists can put anything they like into their art and not necessarily end up with chaos."

Ayers, Robert. "Pipilotti Rist: The Art World Tease | The New York Observer." Observer.com - New York Politics, Media News, Real Estate, Fashion, Gossip, Movies, Books, Theater, and the Arts | The New York Observer. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Relates

Pipilotti Rist's work relates to where I am headed with my own work. I have begun to experiment with video and will be applying a similar digital manipulation over the processed piece. The distortion in my work seeks to comment on the science of genetics and genetic engineering, obsolescence, as well as issues of technology and permanence. (More specifically, digital photography.) Integrating video and the moving image into the work opens the discussion to the role of such media when commenting on the media it is replacing. Rist uses manipulation in her videos as well. For example, in her breakthrough piece, I'm Not the Girl Who Misses Much, she portrayed herself, bare-breasted, dancing in front of the camera. The video was very distorted and blurry, commenting on the viewer and the act of viewing. Like Rist, I plan on making the video difficult to view, physically, and thereby adding a similar element of awareness for the media as well as the subject.


Interview




http://www.sfmoma.org/multimedia/videos/204



Gallery

http://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/25/pipilotti-rist/biography/


Website

http://www.pipilottirist.net/begin/body.html

Preservation (Idea) 2/17/11

Cryogenic pods



Defined

preserve [prɪˈzɜːv]

vb (mainly tr)

1. to keep safe from danger or harm; protect

2. to protect from decay or dissolution; maintain to preserve old buildings

3. to maintain possession of; keep up to preserve a façade of indifference

4. to prevent from decomposition or chemical change

5. (Cookery) to prepare (food), as by freezing, drying, or salting, so that it will resist decomposition

6. (Cookery) to make preserves of (fruit, etc.)

7. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) to rear and protect (game) in restricted places for hunting or fishing

8. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) (intr) to maintain protection and favourable conditions for game in preserves

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Quotations

"(remembering that many more individuals are born than can possibly survive) that individuals having any advantage, however slight, over others, would have the best chance of surviving and of procreating their kind? On the other hand, we may feel sure that any variation in the least degree injurious would be rigidly destroyed. This preservation of favourable variations and the rejection of injurious variations, I call Natural Selection.

Darwin, Charles. "Charles Darwin: The Origin of Species: Chapter IV.-NATURAL SELECTION - Free Online Library." Charles Darwin - Free Online Library. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. .

"It is appropriate to end this discussion with an additional example: the restoration of the Hamar Cathedral, which was built in the beginning of the thirteenth century near Oslo, Norway. In 1567, during the Seven-Year War, the cathedral was set on fire. Later, the ruins were used as a quarry. The cathedral's stones were carried away to be used in the construction of other buildings. And over time the cruel winters reduced the masonry still further. How to preserve it...The paradox is that the overall structure--the ruins plus its glass encasement--now constitutes the overall notion of "cathedral." The preservation activity yielded a new concept of what the building literally and figuratively stood for. "

Cloonan, Micheal V. "The Paradox of Preservation. - Free Online Library." Free News, Magazines, Newspapers, Journals, Reference Articles and Classic Books - Free Online Library. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. .

Annotated Bibliography

Mason, Ingrid. "Virtual Preservation: How Has Digital Culture Influenced Our Ideas about Permanence? Changing Practice in a National Legal Deposit Library. - Free Online Library." Free News, Magazines, Newspapers, Journals, Reference Articles and Classic Books - Free Online Library. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. .

This article discusses the impact of digital technology and culture on the institution of Cultural Heritage Preservation. The constant newness of this digital culture is affecting the idea of permanence on a paradoxical level. The article discusses new preservation techniques as well as digitizing such records anyway. I find this article particularly interesting based on the nature of digital technology and the stage on which it acting in the above discussion. On the one hand, as career center counselors will advise, nothing digital ever goes away. On the other hand, digital technology has a reputation for easy manipulation and obsolescence based on the fragility of its virtual structure. Although the practicality of such technological systems of mass preservation will never be successfully challenged in practice, the discussion of important historical permanence being trusted to the paradoxical digital culture is very intriguing. The question can go further into debate by questioning the integrity of anything preserved in the first place.



Relates

This idea relates to my concept because I deal with issues of genetic, aesthetic, and technological permanence through preservation in my work. The fragility of organics as well as technology combine on a universal platform to question survival and obsolescence. The factors of preservation not only illustrate the non-acceptance of human societies in terms of organic death, they present causality for mutations.

PDN Photo Annual 2011 (1/29/11)

Work Submitted

Mutate

This series creates a junction between human femininity, genetic mutation and digital photography. The images are processed in a way meant to simulate genetic sequencing, duplication, and engineering, by replacing, inserting and copying certain corresponding genetic sequences into the binary codes of the images. This process pertains to not only the genetic issues of evolution and sexual selection, but also the medium of digital photography. (Duplication, engineering, sequencing of code.) Each image has elements of preservative materials, human and non, representing the subjects' desperate struggle/failure for survival.

Kathleen Jones Saliva—Lip Gloss (Human Androgen/Testosterone Receptor sequence located on chromosome Xq12) Mutate 16 X 24” 2010

Kathleen Jones Bilateral Symmetry (Human Hox Gene sequencing) Mutate 16 X 24” 2010

Kathleen Jones Antler Formation/Regeneration (BMP4 Bone Morphogenic Protein Gene in deer) Mutate 16 X 24” 2010

Kathleen Jones Unidentified Birdlike Appendage (Claw, scale, feather structures corresponding to Chromosome GGA25—Sequencing on experimental chicken) Mutate 16 X 24” 2010

Kathleen Jones Bobcat Tooth Morphology (3-3, 1-1, 2-2, 1-1—Dental formula) Mutate 16 X 24” 2010

Kathleen Jones Alligator mississippiensis Jaw Muscles (Sequence of nuclear glycotic enzyme gene a-enolase) Mutate 16 X 24” 2010

Kathleen Jones Female Human Hips—Control Top (Human ERE estrogen receptor sequencing) Mutate 16 x 24” 2010

Sam Taylor Wood (Artist) 2/14

Work












Bio

Sam Taylor-Wood is a widely acclaimed English artist, working in lens-based media. In addition to a feature-length film, Taylor-Wood has created many short, conceptual videos. Her work focuses on self, and the differences between seeing inwardly and feeling outwardly. Sam Taylor-Wood's work always contains an element which is either exaggerated, or non-existent, to emphasize the internal self of the subject being portrayed.


Quotations

"Taylor-Wood’s work examines the split between being and appearance, often placing her human subjects – either singly or in groups – in situations where the line between interior and external sense of self is in conflict."

"White Cube — Sam Taylor-Wood." White Cube. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. .

"Taylor-Wood’s impulses are just as close to Caravaggio’s desire to subvert his medium’s inherent limitations, in his case by painting dynamic compositions that have the potential to destroy the picture’s stillness with imminent movement."

Ward, Ossian. "Sam Taylor Wood - Articles - The Saatchi Gallery." Saatchi Gallery. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. .

Relates

Sam Taylor-Wood's work relates to mine on a conceptual, and sometimes visual level. Her examination of the difference of external and internal states of being is similar to the ways I question organic objects' inherent "life" compared to their scientific or artificial lifespan. For example, the use of taxidermy in my work is to elicit a sense of once-being of the object, with regards to the blunt being in object form instead of organic. Visually, I am inspired by Taylor-Wood's films, and have been experimenting with similar ideas combining the above concepts with issues of medium. For example, I am making a short film right now that appears to be a still image at first, to question the lifespan of photography as a still image.


Interview

Gallery

http://www.whitecube.com/artists/taylorwood/


Website

N/A

Storage (Idea) 2/10

Defined

stor·age (stôrj, str-)

n.

1.

a. The act of storing goods or the state of being stored.

b. A space for storing goods.

c. The price charged for keeping goods stored.

2. The charging or regenerating of a storage battery.

3. Computer Science The part of a computer that stores information for subsequent use or retrieval.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Quotations

"Cold storage for high hopes."

"Ambrose Bierce: The Devil's Dictionary: O - Free Online Library." Ambrose Bierce - Free Online Library. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. .

"It was too dark in these storage places to see well, but a man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried dung of rats."

"Upton Sinclair: The Jungle: Chapter 14 - Free Online Library." Upton Sinclair - Free Online Library. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. .

Annotated Bibliography

"Cloud Storage. - Free Online Library." Free News, Magazines, Newspapers, Journals, Reference Articles and Classic Books - Free Online Library. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. .

This article describes a new way to store data. "Cloud Storage," is the storage of public or private data in multiple virtual servers, for the benefit of organizations requiring backup of data. The advantage of cloud storage is that the buyer only pays for what he or she uses in terms of data storage. The technology has not caught on yet commercially, because of security concerns. I found this article interesting because of the notion of storage being virtual, and also because it would somehow come to be named "cloud storage." This article posed that ubiquitous question to me of "if everything, than nothing," because if storage of virtual data is so vital to organizations, and everything seems to be virtual, including the storage device, then what quantifies the price of storing "nothing"?


Relates

This idea relates to my concept because I am exploring preservation of life in terms of storage, which to me, equates these living, or once living organisms to objects. The taxidermy subjects are carried into the studio in the same "packaging" in which they are stored in my apartment, for however long I hold onto them. The storage concept gets a bit skewed when the camera is turned on the living, human subject, because it enters into a new discussion of species survival and artificial selection due to non-organic processes or modifiers of desired female traits.

Xu Bing (Lecture Response)

Quotation

"Imagine spending four years to make something that says nothing."

This quotation refers to Xu Bing's most widely known work, "Book from the Sky," which, as discussed in earlier posts, was comprised of 4,000 hand-carved characters, all made up by the artist. The project was meant to comment on the manipulative nature of communication and serve as a democratic language, since every viewer shares a non-literacy of the made-up text. The quote Bing used to describe the work sounds negative, however, "saying nothing," regardless of the length of time used to say it, says everything in terms of the concept. The degradation and uselessness of the "message" is the message.


3 Words

New
Materiality
Democratic


About Xu Bing

I learned at the lecture yesterday that Xu Bing was trained very traditionally in Chinese art. His background is in traditional calligraphy and printing, which struck me, considering how seemingly alternative his materials and scale seem to be in his work. During the lecture, Xu Bing spoke a lot about the differences between Chinese and Western art education, as well as the changing political tides in China and the effect this has on Chinese art. Considering the massive amounts of regulation the country underwent in its history, the contemporary art originating there is extremely creative and new. Xu Bing explained that since there still exists such a heavy emphasis on traditional art making, Chinese artists have not lost as much of the fundamentals of creating as Westerners seem to have.


Answers to Questions

1) My first question involved Xu Bing's relationship to Chinese culture, and this relationship affecting his concepts of communication and literature. From the lecture, I gathered Xu Bing, being a Chinese artist, has influenced not only his concepts, but also his art making process. He explained that in China, art education emphasized a central idea of "from life to art," meaning that only from an "understanding of the masses could art be created." This way of thinking obviously influenced his "Book from the Sky" project as well as many others, including "Book from the Ground," because they focus on a general concept of communicating to everyone, regardless of culture or language. His work, in general, seems to be sensitive not only to the Chinese culture, but also at a human level.

2) My second question refers to the aspect of time in many of Xu Bing's project, and what effect, if any, the element of time has on the work. In many of his projects, Xu Bing seems to re-write tradition, using materials pertinent to the subject. In order for the projects to function, it seems they must mimic an institution, whether it be Chinese character printing, book writing, etc. These processes take a lot of time, and I believe the final product is obviously a reflection of the time spent, in a way in which the audience can draw meaning.


Compelling Piece

I thought Xu Bing's piece, "Book from the Ground" was very compelling. It was a book comprised of all symbols which he had gathered from many different sources. The book functions as a tool which allows every person on Earth to share a commonality, because every person can read it. The concept of message, communication and understanding is made clear in this very democratic piece.

Materials: Software, acrylic panel with with printed mylar
Exhibition: "Automatic Update"
Dates: June 27-September 3, 2007
Institution: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York

Namita Gupta Wiggers (Lecture Response)

Quotation

"Step away from the white cube."

Namita Gupta Wiggers used this quote to describe her intention when approaching "curation." When choreographing an exhibit, Wiggers attempts to showcase the work as well as engage the audience as strategically as possible, and sometimes, this means stepping away from the typical white box gallery structure. Wiggers has takes an interesting approach when addressing retrospectives as well as interactive exhibitions. The effects of these exhibitions often extend past the boundaries of the museum in which they are showcased.


3 Words

Engage
Involve
Innovate


About Namita Gupta Wiggers

One of the things I found out that I did not already know before the lecture this afternoon involves Wiggers personally as well as the profession of curating. Wiggers spoke of an exhibit she curated displaying influential American craft. Instead of taking the typical chronological approach, Wiggers approached the exhibit from a more personal point of view, she said, because she could not necessarily relate to that "norm", being an immigrant to the country herself. Therefore, Wiggers choreographed the exhibition around a multicultural theme to showcase the work according to a viewpoint she can envision personally. I was not aware of the extent of personalization a curator could have, especially in terms of something which seems so easy to place into a chronological structure. I was pleasantly surprised at the level of creativity this profession involves in general, because it was not something I had been lectured on before today.


Answers to Questions

1) My first question involved the profession of curating, and some of the ups and downs of the industry. Wiggers definitely answered this question throughout the lecture. For example, she said, "The power of museums is in making academic conversations available to the community." I think this is the major reason to want to curate in the first place. Wiggers did comment many times about the limits of curating, because of traditions which have been put in place and difficult to break from. However, it seems, from her lecture, Wiggers is breaking those traditions and replacing them with a more innovative approach to connecting the audience with great art.

2) My second question was a little more vague and not something Wiggers necessarily covered. However, she placed a lot of emphasis on looking at the way people are learning in contemporary culture. Apprenticeships are being replaced with youtube tutorials and fine art is being sold through online communities. These types of media are really important for a curator to know about and utilize when deciding how to connect people with art.


Compelling Piece

I thought the most compelling exhibit Wiggers spoke about curating in her lecture was "Transference," by Andy Paiko and Ethan Rose. Her approach to curating this work was by "asking the questions we are trying to ask" for each exhibition. These preconceived questions determined the arrangement of the exhibition, which was, in fact, a success. The piece involved inverted glass bowls hung from a wall with an attached musical appendage, controlled by computers in the wall. The result was literally, a musical composition.

Xu Bing (Artist Post) 2/7/11

Work

Exhibited: Three Installations by Xu Bing, Elvehjem Museum of Art, Wisconsin
Materials: Mixed media installation / Hand-printed books and scrolls printed from blocks inscribed with ''false'' characters.

Institution: Xu Bing's East Village Studio, New York
Materials: books, computer, paper, photographs, silkworm.



Exhibited: Xu Bing, Jack Tilton Gallery, New York
Materials: Mixed medIa installation / Live pigs, bamboo, classical paintings.
\Institution: Fukuoka Asia Art Museum, Japan
Materials: Mixed media installation / Computers and software.




Exhibited: Made in China, The Louisiana Museum of Modern, Denmark
Materials: Cut and painted acrylic


Bio

Xu Bing is a Chinese artist who works in a variety of media to create often large-scale installations usually connected to mass society and communication. Bing believes in art as a mechanism for influencing the society in which it functions and places more emphasis on message than material. This being said, his masterful use of unconventional materials not only contains clear and powerful messages, it holds aesthetic and material power which is clear as a viewer or participant in the "transaction." Xu Bing's "Book from the Sky" project is an example of his genius combination of concept, content and material usage to create a moving installation. He comments on the easily manipulation of communication by fabricating countless Chinese manuscripts. Now, Bing is performing a residency at VCU and VMFA.


Quotations

"It is impossible to pinpoint the place and moment at which new interpretations for a work of art are derived. Xu Bing himself is never certain what his works' ultimate meanings will be, and he seems to accept that defining meaning can be the prerogative of both artist and audience. Furthermore, meaning is not inherent in the work of art: it is transformed as the work travels through time and space; and the more open the work of art is, the more the reactive imprint of
the artist or audience dominates its meaning."

Evolving Meanings in Xu Bing's Art: A Case Study of Transference
Erickson, Britta

"Chinese artist Xu Bing's calligraphic works blur the divides of language and meaning, past and present, truth and lies."

Being and Nothingness
Claire Lui

Relates

Xu Bing's work relates to how I aspire for my work function and be interpreted. I try to use my material to further my concept, which I believe Bing does as well, whether or not his intention is on material or concept emphasis. For example, I use the medium of digital photography now to convey an impermanence and plasiticity which exists in society at large, as well as the desperation of living things to resist their own impermanence and obsolescence. My concept relates to Xu Bing's because both concepts concern an overarching "life" and the ways in which manipulation can be interpreted. The manipulation in both methodologies are artist rendered, but link to certain existing institutions in society. (His is cultural language and mine is how cultures deal with genetics and evolution.)


Interview

Gallery

http://www.artbeatus.com/


Website

http://www.xubing.com/index.php

Xu Bing (Lecture Questions)

Book from the Sky 天书
1987-1991



Question 1

From what I know of Xu Bing's work, I have gathered the concept of communication and the written word are subjects which the artist has explored. To what extent does Xu Bing's relationship to China in particular, being such an old world in and of itself in many ways, impact his work on literature and the written word? (Book from the Sky Project)


Question 2

My second question for Xu Bing relates to the expanse of time involved in creating many of his installations. I am curious what effect, if any, the element of time has on the finished project?

Namita Gupta Wiggers (Lecture Questions)

Question 1

My first question relates to the curatorial field in general, because this is a direction I am interested in going. Is curating what you thought is would be, and what are the rewards/pitfalls of the profession?


Question 2

My second question is more personal and involves education and training in the curatorial field. What education/training benefited you the most in your career today, and what would you suggest to someone who is sifting through graduate school possibilities?

Plastic (Idea) 2/3

Chris Jordan Depicts 60,000 plastic bags, the number used in the US every five seconds.


Defined

plastic [ˈplæstɪk ˈplɑːs-]

n

1. (Chemistry) any one of a large number of synthetic usually organic materials that have a polymeric structure and can be moulded when soft and then set, esp such a material in a finished state containing plasticizer, stabilizer, filler, pigments, etc. Plastics are classified as thermosetting (such as Bakelite) or thermoplastic (such as PVC) and are used in the manufacture of many articles and in coatings, artificial fibres, etc. Compare resin [2]

2. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Banking & Finance) short for plastic money

adj

1. made of plastic

2. easily influenced; impressionable the plastic minds of children

3. capable of being moulded or formed

4. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) Fine arts

a. of or relating to moulding or modelling the plastic arts

b. produced or apparently produced by moulding the plastic draperies of Giotto's figures

5. having the power to form or influence the plastic forces of the imagination

6. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Biology of or relating to any formative process; able to change, develop, or grow plastic tissues

7. (Medicine / Surgery) of or relating to plastic surgery

8. Slang superficially attractive yet unoriginal or artificial plastic food

[from Latin plasticus relating to moulding, from Greek plastikos, from plassein to form]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Quotations

" For a moment I fancied myself a new man--a most exciting illusion. It clung to me for some time, monstrous, half conviction and half hope as to its body, with an iridescent tail of dreams and with a changeable head like a plastic mask. It was only later that I perceived that in common with the rest of men nothing could deliver me from my fatal consistency. We cannot escape from ourselves."

"Joseph Conrad: Tales of Unrest: Author's Note - Free Online Library." Joseph Conrad - Free Online Library. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. .

"They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute."

"Oscar Wilde: The Picture Of Dorian Gray: CHAPTER 2 - Free Online Library." Oscar Wilde - Free Online Library. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. .

Annotated Bibliography

"Long Live Plastics: with Plastics in Museums Decomposing, a New Effort Seeks to Halt the Demise of Materials Commonly Thought to Be Unalterable. - Free Online Library." Free News, Magazines, Newspapers, Journals, Reference Articles and Classic Books - Free Online Library. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. .

This article discusses the degradation of plastic polymers being witnessed in museums. Common thinking tends to suggest plastic materials, being so easily molded and tough, will last for too long on this planet, which is probably true. However, the signs of this material starting to falter in museums seems shocking. The plastics on display at museums will have to be individually analyzed and preserved in order to ensure they will be on view for future generations. This makes me question the existing preservation in museums, which often seems so impermeable and permanent. May it be true that nothing is truly permanent?

Relates

This idea relates to my work because a large theme is plastic/preservative materials. This concept has many different links to the work. For example, the plastic materials comment of food preservation and non-acceptance of "spoil" in food as well as human life. They also comment of storage of once-living objects and desperate attempts to convince them to resist decomposition. The same question of permanence spoken about earlier is a very importance issue in my work.