Barbara Smith + Blog

On view in conjunction with the SNAG conference as part of “Extremities: Exploring the Margins of the Human Body”.

This needs to be a triptych I think….mom?

Enjoying the blog.

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

The questions raised:

*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*Do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.

How many other things are we missing?

Full story in the Washington Post.

“The inseparable color and brand association (above) have become a legal reality. Brands are putting a stake in the spectrum and claiming that color for their own use. An infographic of what this looks like was in Wired magazine in June of 2003.”

This scares me. I don’t know why anyone would want to own the rights to the color magenta…but T Mobile actually OWNS the rights to MAGENTA.

Should I blame IKB?

“In two years of global warfare, America had yet to see almost any pictures of dead Americans.”

Writers on writing.

The World Classic Interactive Arts Exhibition opened in Beijing last week.

How to explain my parents from lernert Engelberts on Vimeo.

by Lernert Engelberts & Sander Plug

9 episode documentary series in which artists of abstract work explain to their parents
what its all about.
episode 1:
Fantastic artist Arno Coenen talks to his father about the Eurotrash beer he developed for an art museum.

via limboland

“…When I consider creating objects, I think about making things that should have long term value for the people who interact with them, and I also think about the process of making – the craft. I believe very strongly in making right now. It’s not about just having ideas – not just coming up with concepts on paper, but really getting into the idiosyncrasies of prototyping and making things, considering the craft as part of the design. I don’t think you fully understand how something works or fully understand how it will affect people in the physical world until you build it, you experience it and discover more details about it. That is something I am really interested in doing right now, which I’ve seen a lot of industrial designers avoid- getting their hands dirty, understanding the manufacturing process, and prototyping.”

Michael Gluzman interview

“… most people won’t notice if you don’t make something, and that a lot of people won’t particularly care if you do. But, how you choose to respond to that existential k?an will say a lot about your potential as both an artist and as an engaged human.

Because, if you’re relieved that universal apathy provides legitimate cover for eight blissful hours of “managing email,” then you’re in luck. Every day for the rest of your life. Punch out.

But, if you’re like me, you may find you’re invigorated—even challenged—by all that bigger ambiguity. By knowing that, at any time, you might be seconds away from starting something amazing that seemed impossible a minute ago. Even oddly prepared to drop the lizard crap whenever the need arises. ”

Merlin Mann on Doing Creative Work

And for great recommendations in Google Reader, a thank you to Scott!