Re: [microsound] food for thought

[Garry Kling <kling007@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

on 04/10/2001 11:53 AM, pelagius pelagius at pela_gius@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> actually I was 
> trying to bring up the point that the materialism he condemns is an integral
> aspect of the microsound genre.  How can you attack this country's
> materialism and the list's tendency toward fan-boy trainspotting when the
> artists themselves have cultivated a culture of boutique labels, limited
> editions and techno fetishism?  The genre's emphasis on graphic design and
> packaging seems to be the ultimate materialist move.  I'm not saying any of
> this to be mean or accusatory.  I make my living as a designer using a
> computer, so I'm asking these questions because I'm trying to reconcile
> these conflicts and concerns in my own life.
> 

I didn't want to say it... But I don't know if one can reject unequivocally
materialism. We all have a flavor of it that is acceptable to us. Perhaps
the more pernicious types are those that encourage us to ignore the artistic
value of an object (or music) in favor of the mere possession of it,
regardless. I have many albums which have more artistic cases than music.
The graphic design of an album can be very artistic and have plenty of
artistic value. And I really see what you're saying about attacking our
country & artistic values. I don't know how to reconcile this, except
perhaps we should look towards making music and objects that improve
something. I'm not saying that we should go buy Adbusters and start
"designing anarchy", or that we should only buy music that supports the
political ideals that we do. Because we know in the end that the politics
can really ruin art. Someone mentioned that politics and music can make a
bad mix, and they are absolutely right. In the end, it can just be another
marketing tool, and pretty much just preaching to the choir. I'm not saying
it can't be done with integrity, just that it's quite difficult.

Perhaps value is best preserved in art when you embrace a "classical"
aesthetic, when you remove the connotation (yeah right) in favor of the
beauty of arrangement - form, proportion, counterpoint, harmony, gesture.
Just an idea. I dunno, as a musician, I'm also struggling with these
questions. In spite of my desire to create with a social conscience, I'm
never impressed with the results of such creation. Message is such a
marketing tool (Marilyn Manson, Insane Clown Posse, U2, many others), but
does it add something to art? I'm not sure it does in most cases...

Garry