Formal Constraint

["Patrick Murphy" <PDM2318@xxxxxxxxx>]

At what point does the method of artistic creation become more important =
than (or more interesting than) the end result? =20

I keep coming up against this problem and wondered what some of you think=
=2E  To clarify a little, i'm thinking about the use of  some sort of for=
mal constraint as a means to produce unexpected results---for example: va=
rious forms of  serial or twelve tone music, Cage's music of changes, wor=
ks by Georges Perec and Oulipo (using mathematical structures as a means =
of creating "potential literature"), Pollock's drip paintings, etc.    Th=
e idea here is that by constraining the means of creation one can arrive =
at a work that is somehow new, fresh, experimental, etc.  In the words of=
 Perec "by not being able to say what you normally would, you are forced =
to say what you normally wouldn't."  Quite often I've heard about an arti=
st/musician who uses some fascinating me
ans to create a work only to be disappointed by the end product.  To what=
 extend do these activities become more about the method of creation than=
 about the end result....and if so, is this an acceptable aspect of exper=
imental music???=20

ideas??

-patrick

bohm.333
bohm.732
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/538/bohm.html

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