Day 11: ART OR NO ART

Non-Art Object as Art:

For this part of the assignment, I am going to discuss Surfboards as typically non-art objects that can pose as works of art. In the first lecture, Kip Fulbeck outlined the necessities of works of art, being that they must include some kind of “making”, or production, as well as a “conveyance of meaning” or representation. Surfboards fit comfortably within both of these parameters. The people who make the boards, or rather, “Shapers” must construct the boards through many stages. It process involves shaping a foam blank (the raw core material), glassing the shaped blank, and lastly sanding the glassed product. The production process can be tedious, and requires years upon years of experience to master, allowing for finished products that can actually work, fulfilling a utilitarian function. The conveyance of meaning, however, comes into play in the varying shapes of the boards. Depending of the types of boards, and the outlines, someone can read a lot about the shapers interests, goals, and experience, as well as the customer’s preferences. Not to mention… a well shaped board is beautiful in its own right, without any interpretation.

Art Object as Non-Art Object:

For this part of the assignment, I have to warn, my strong biases have come into play, and may nullify my argument, however, I’m going to stick with it regardless. About a block and a half away from my house, there is a humungous statue of a male clown, wearing a corset and tutu, with a top hat. This statue used to move mechanically, while singing a horrifying, screeching excuse for a song. Although some may consider this public monstrosity a piece of art, if they had grown up seeing it, and hearing it over ten times a day, I am sure, without a doubt, they would barf at the notion of it as a piece of art. I would say that it serves more of a utilitarian purpose, which is the purpose of scaring little children away from walking any closer to the dirty, previously-ranted-about world that is the boardwalk.