Bad Justifications, Art and My Top Ten Lists!
The Protestant heritage of Anglo-American and Canadian culture has led to the widespread belief that art has to justify its presence in the world by having an important ‘message’. Authors such as Shaw and Ibsen are lauded for their presentation of ‘serious social issues’ rather than for their capable dramatic writing (how did you get from one scene to the next in the days before sophisticated lighting instruments? You wrote the changes, by gum!)
I for one am fed up with hearing artists who have been conditioned by this reductive trend justify their work because of its social content rather than its aesthetic form. I am equally horrified by the fact the my students have been conditioned all through high school to evaluate art not in terms of the aesthetic experience offered, but in terms of any simplistic moral message it might possibly contain.
IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE AN IMPORTANT MORAL OR SOCIAL MESSAGE, WRITE AN ESSAY, A PAMPHLET, AN EDITORIAL OR A BOOK, START A POLITICAL PARTY, AN NGO OR BECOME A LOBBYIST BUT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, PLEASE DON’T MAKE ANY ART!!!
So, in no particular order, here are some books, films and albums that have captivated my imagination and senses over the years. They are surely tacit influences on my work, and while many can be described in terms of moral and social issues, these are only contingent to the craft and élan that makes them compelling. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do:
Fiction (almost):
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
My Name is Red, Orhan Pamuk
The Autobiography of Red, Anne Carson
Newton’s Niece, Derek Beaven
The Strange Case of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon
Smilla’s Sense of Snow, Peter Hoeg
Famous Last Words, Timothy Findlay
Neuromancer, William Gibson
Jack of Shadows, Roger Zelazny
Shikasta, Doris Lessing
The Khazar Dictionary, Milorad Pavic
In the Skin of a Lion, Michael Ondaatje
Stick Out Your Tongue (short stories), Ma Jian
Soul Mountain, Gao Xingjian
The Songlines, Bruce Chatwin
The Radiant Way, Margaret Drabble
The Good Apprentice, Iris Murdoch
For the Time Being, Annie Dillard
Elric of Melniboné, Michael Moorcock
The Lion of Boaz Jachin and Jachin Boaz, Russell Hoban
The Odyssey, Homer
Metamorphosis, Ovid
Apulius, The Golden Ass
House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
The Periodic Table, Primo Levi
Imperium, Ryszard Kapuscinski
White Teeth, Zadie Smith
Cinema:
Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky
Fanny and Alexander, Ingemar Bergman
2001, Stanley Kubrick
Prospero’s Books, Peter Greenaway
Trust, Hal Hartley
The Seven Samurai (Shichinin No Samurai), Kurosawa
After Life (Wandafuru Raifu), Hirokazu Kore-eda
Suzhou River (Suzhou He), Ye Lou
Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders
Underground, Emir Kusturica
Farewell My Concubine (Ba Wang Bie Ji), Chen Kaige
Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), Miyazaki Hayao
Logan’s Run, Michael Anderson
A Touch of Evil, Orson Wells
The Quiet Earth, Geoff Murphy
The Man Who Copied (Homem Que Copiava), Jorge Furtado
Subway, Luc Besson
My Dinner with André, Louis Malle
Hidden (Caché), Michael Haneke
and High Fidelity by Stephen Frears, because I was almost that guy…
Pop Music:
Ege Bamyasi, Can
Another Day on Earth, Eno
Sign’o the Times, Prince
Low, Bowie
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco
Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth
Come on Feel the Illinoise, Sufjan Stevens
Clandestino, Manu Chao
Oil and Gold, Shriekback
Wrecking Ball, Emmy Lou Harris
Fina Estampa, Caetano Veloso
Junior Relaxer, King Cobb Steelie
Audio Active, We are Audio Active/Tokyo Space Cowboys
African Head Charge, In Pursuit of Shashamane Land
Remain in Light, Talking Heads
London Calling, The Clash
‘Serious’ Music:
Kol Nidre, John Zorn
Lux Aeterna, Gyorgi Ligeti
Palais de Mari, Morton Feldman
Tellehim, Steve Riech
Sonatas and Interludes, John Cage
The Dreamer That Remains, Harry Partch
Theatre and Dance (available on video)
Akropolis, Jerzy Grotowski & Polish Theatre Lab
The Gospel According to Oxyrhincus, Eugenio Barba & Odin Teatret
Einstein on the Beach, Robert Wilson and Philip Glass
The Trojan Women, Tadashi Suzuki
The Dead Class, Taddeus Kantor
Book of Days, Meredith Monk
Le Dortoir, Gilles Maheu
Unetsu, Ushio Amagatsu
Theatre and Dance (that I saw live)
Alkoremmi, Richard Fowler & Primus Theatre
Le Dortoir, Gilles Maheu
Noiject, Saburo Teshigawara
Water Lilies & Kachofugetsu, Kazuo Ohno
Kaosmos, Eugenio Barba & Odin Teatret
A Simple Thing, Thomas Leabhart
Its Op Bach, Allain Platel & Ballet C de la B
This is a very subtly thought provoking post. My husband, of munndialarts.com, directed me to it this morning and I have been thinking about it off and on all day. (Thank you for that. Something that makes me consider my role as a writer is ALWAYS welcome.)
My conclusion so far? There is value in having a social agenda to your art even if it is a major reason for your project; but I do agree that if the point of your art is not first and foremost your art, then you are not an artist, you are in advertising.
Something tells me I am not finished considering this though.
You’ve also presented some works that I am intrigued to check out and some that I loved also. I thought I was the only person on the planet that would put “Neuromancer” and “The Odyssey” in the same list.
If you’re interested: For books, I think you might like “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell (but don’t waste your time on her follow up). For movies “A Love Song for Bobby Long” and “Masked and Anonymous” definitely hit my top 10. Music…Ray LaMontagne (see him live if you can).
Thanks again!
Hi there,
Sorry it took me a while to get to this, I was out of town. I was being a little polemical to get a point across, but I do feel very strongly that art is its own category of experience and needs to have value attributed to it based on its ‘artness’, not based on value judgments from other value spheres, such as social or political or moral ones.
Thanks for the recommendations, I’ll look them up!
Best,
Daniel