Relational Aesthetics, again

So, I picked a beautiful place to read the rest of Claire Bishop's October article "Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics," didn't I? This is the ceiling of Suzzalo Library on the University of Washington Campus.

Ok, so, as far as I can snuff it- Relational Aesthetics began as a course of study in the 1990's (we're already so twenty years ago), and basically consists of people luring other people to galleries with the promise of social interaction. My logical question is- Is it the gallery that then makes this art? Because I love luring people to places, just generally the place is my own house, not a reproduction of my house in the NYMOMA (as Rirkrit Tiravanija has). I have had most of my profound interactions with art NOT in gallery settings, and believe that in order o actually be art things have to exist without the white cube (even though I love the white cube, and would love to waste my time there as frequently as possible). So, as my course of inquiry seems to go- Yes, hosting dinner parties is an act of art making. And apparently not of performance art, but of a sort of propostional art (I propose to cook thai food for you, and the act of you eating fulfills the artiness, therefore I am not a performer...).

Actually, the best part about Claire Bishop's article was her implication of this style of art making as being inherently political, which I completely agree with. There was also discussion of the term "micro-topia" which I positively love. Hereafter, I proclaim myself to be a creator of Micro-topias- little communitiy spaces induced by my will with the purpose of serving sandwiches. Isn't it great to have meaning?

what a bunch of bs!

How Bixente really feels about Relational Aesthetics.

So, this is Bix doing his absolute favorite wintertime activity- running around the bathroom with his head in a toilet paper tube. I think it must remind his little hypothalmus (try as I might I can't verify if hedgehogs have a hypothalmus, and I'm not going to cut him open to find out) of tunneling or something (though he never digs tunnels when he could, so god only knows). He will willingly investigate things he would usually find terrifying (my shoes, the open floor underneath the sink...). He tries to sneak up on me, an activity he would never indulge in otherwise. After awhile he will pull his head out, look a bit scruffly, give himself a good scratch, and then find somewhere to nap. ((well documented, but infrequently witnessed -- phenomenon of apparently healthy hedgehogs running in circles, sometimes for hours on end, without seeming to get bored. ))

And this brings us back to the topic of Relational Aesthetics... In that instead of spending yesterday doing research on relation aesthetics I read some scientific papers about hedgehogs, drank too much coffee, and glowered because it was raining...