Tori Bell Response pages 140-175

1.     Aesthetics- a supplement that both reveals and neutralizes the division at the heart of the sensible (ex. movies like If… and The Trial)

2.     Sensible- how we understand and negotiate a shared social order (we understand that waiting in line is necessary, so there won’t be chaos and trampling)

3.     Police- boundaries that guide and enforce a distribution of the sensible; the process through which the unification and agreement of communities, the organization of powers (ex. don’t touch the art unless given permission)

4.     Perception- sensual qualities of feeling innately possessed by humans; intuitive responses contingent upon condition established by politics (ex. The color white is pure and innocent and black is death and mystery in the West, but in the East white is for funerals, and black is for fertile earth.)

5.     Politics- a consensual social structure that constitute how saying thinking, being, and pleasure occur (ex. a romantic relationship is a consensual arrangement based on the normative social structures but individually adjusted to the desires and needs of the couple)

Technology and changes in societal perception have softened the impact of Rosler, Meckseper, and Levi’s work. We are so inundated with images, both news and commercial that the artistic convention of combining these categories with daily life is simply not as impactful.

Voorhies looks to make less of a direct statement than the others. Instead he makes actual interventions in space, he offers installations which provide experiences for the viewer. While this is certainly a more contemporary approach, whether it actually sparks ideas and dialogue I cannot say.   

Tori Bell Response Pages 105-140

Manifesta wanted to be seen as truly international, so instead of establishing itself in one location it became nomadic. Going to a different European city every two years, responding to politics, society, and aesthetics. They also focused on emerging artists instead of established, allowing them to showcase the experimental efforts of the younger generation. Manifesta also make a point of setting up research facilities like InfoLab and collaborating with the community to figure out the most pertinent issues.

Most importantly Manifesta knows less wealthy countries do not have the finances to host a biennial so they make a point of showing plenty of works from across many regions of Europe.

"What If..." tried to emulate the structured consumer experience that is created through architecture and design. Perhaps it is because I have only seen pictures but I don’t feel that the exhibition was very impactful. They tried to be so subtle and nuanced they ended up looking like an ikea instead of probing deeper into the questions of what it means to live in a society designed for consuming. They would have been better off writing a paper.

Gothic architecture influences my work on an aesthetic level and I look at the design of older prints and ads from the 1800’s. Because I’m more interested in things from the past I think my approach and thinking is different than those who engage with contemporary ideas.