Hybrid vehicle promoting environmental sustainability
The second portion of the instructional videos dives into the more political side of art. In order to understand this we must zoom out and redefine art once again. Many social movements take place everyday to make a stand against or for certain political events. We see different fashion trends, different cars being bought, all to show support for different things. The MOOC video mentioned that many different sections can all flow into each other. Social art, social movements, anticonsumerism, environmentalism are all categories that can be expressed through art. Buying clothes only made of recycled material, purchasing cars and homes that are environmentally friendly. Taking a stand, or march against cosmetics or other products that promote consumerism. Art does not have to be a physical object like a painting or sculpture, but can be an institution or an idea or opinion. Another very interesting point brought up in the videos were the subject regarding intentional communities, science, and institutions. The different museums containing technology of hundreds of years ago showed the melting pot of different time periods all falling into one place. The “Nowhereisland” made by Alex Hartley involved a floating island from the arctic to England and thus became its own nation. This challenging and playfulness around law and institutions is what art is all about. I also found the experimental and intentional communities Disney started in Florida, made Disney an artist. The architectural design and purposeful location needed artistic ability. Many of the projects brought up in these videos were very large scale projects which are too much for us to create during this semester, but very cool to think about long term. If I was to incorporate the themes brought up in these videos in my project I would most likely keep in mind the lessons around how multiple areas can mix and coexist. I am interested, among many others in the class, in environmental sustainability and now thinking about what art pieces I could create that would promote this idea of protection and preservation sounds very intriguing.