Hi, Ellen. First, I don't think that there are definitive ideas of what is
"good art." But I especially don't think that "unique" makes it anywhere on
the list--that would cut out photographs, Andy Warhol silkscreens, found
objects, Conceptual art and any sort of reproducible medium such as video
or DVD.
Also, I just want to bring up the point that the "photograph as document"
is a complicated issue--it is not as simple as the photograph as an
objective, historical record of a moment. There are all sorts of
manipulations with photography, including focusing, cropping, color and b/w
choices--in other words, where does the document end and the work of art
begin? Moreover, if the photo is cropped or enlarged for publication, is
this also "corrupting the historical record"? Is it possible to base a
memorial on a photograph and still create an independent monument? I think
so.
As an aside, as for our forefathers not creating a country if it weren't
for them being "un-PC", try asking that question from the point of view of
a slave at that time, or of a Native American at that time.
Lara
Ellen B Cutler
<[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask]
Sent by: Museum cc:
discussion list Subject: Re: Symbols or truth? A reply.
<[log in to unmask]
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01/22/2002 09:47 AM
Please respond to
Museum discussion
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List Gentlefolk,
I truly have been avoiding this line. Like so many others, however, I
cannot stop my self from asking questions and making observations that seem
to have been ignored up to this point.
To be honest, I am not entirely sure what the people who comissioned the
sculpture *intended.* It is my impression that they intended to create a
memorial to the heroism of the firefighters on that awful day.
What is unfortunate is that they chose--thoughtlessly in my opinion--to
base the memorial on a well-known photographic image that so many had taken
to heart, and did not think to consult either the photographer or the
publisher about copyright infringement and improper use of the image.
One of the topics I notice that has been absent from this combustible
discussion is the topic of "art." Is the sculpture as proposed good art?
Is its aesthetic form inventive, memorable, unique? Is the choice of
material appropriate to site, context, subject and style? How does the
form convey the meaning intended both by sculptor and commissioner(s) and
can that meaning transcend short-term memory, will it resonate with future
generations and people of other nationalities who may not know much if
anything about the events of 9/11?
I entirely agree with those who argue that the document of that moment is
the photograph, and that to change any aspect of that photograph is to
corrupt the historical record.
I also agree with those who argue that if this sculpture is intended to be
a memorial to those who saved lives and died, and a monument to the heroic
actions of all firefighters, then it should take a form which embraces the
diversity of the department and points the way to a more inclusive and
united future.
I have been reading Geoff Dyer's extraordinary mediation on WWI, "The
Missing of the Somme" (1994) and there is so much of it that seems so
germane to the struggle in which we now engage.
Dyer talks about the British poetry and memorial sculpture of WWI, and sees
them as works "not of remembrance but of anticipation, or more accurately,
the "anticipation of remembrance", a foreseeing that is also a
determining."
Below I would like to share some of the essay on which I have been working.
"Dyer's words help me better understand our collective response in all its
variety and paradox to disorder and pain generated by the events of
September 11. He recognizes that in facing a future "characterized by
instability and uncertainty, we also "[embalm] a past characterized by
stability and certainty." In order to move forward, we simultaneously try
to determine the form history will take and look forward to the ritual
observance of the moments from which history is constructed.
"Which returns me to the subject of the controversy surrounding this
memorial. Memorials are a sort of cultural mnemonic, a way to keep memory
alive. A memorial's meaning, moreover, is as private and personal as it is
public and general.
"Public memorials, however, also serve as permanent monuments. The New
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines a monument first as a sepulcher,
second as a written document, and third as a structure intended to
commemorate a notable person, action or event. Thus the message encoded in
a monument testifies both to individual memory and historical record.
"The most enduring monuments honor both individual memory and community
record. When their creation is also appropriately distanced?by time and by
discourse?from the events that brought them into being, the union of
memorial and monument is likely to produce a work of art that is
esthetically powerful, historically legible and emotionally expressive and
resonant.
"Dyer also considers the weight accorded the feelings of those directly
connected to the event or person. "Survivor outrage," he calls it, using
the phrase coined by James Young in his book The Texture of Memory:
Holocaust Memorials and Meaning (1993), who wrote that "Many survivors
believe that the searing reality of their experiences demands as literal a
memorial as possible.
"Is it "survivor outrage" that has so polarized Americans who have seen
the model for the proposed memorial to New York City firefighters? The
model is based on a photograph first printed in the Bergen County (NJ)
Record; it combines the photograph's message of hope and patriotism with
visual cues that remind us that heroic selflessness is unique to no
particular group. Many are outraged by the artist's changes to the
photograph, arguing that to alter the race of two of the figures is to deny
the reality of that moment when three firefighters, who happened all to be
white, raised the American flag at Ground Zero. There are others who say
that to present three white male faces as the exclusive image of heroism is
to marginalize the efforts and deaths of women and men of color who acted
with comparable valor.
"The importance of such a memorial, and its significance to future
generations has gotten lost in accusations of "political correctness" and
bigotry. Opposing views of what constitutes truth?a true record of events,
a true expression of American values?clash and divide. The effort to unite
us all in this symbol of the transcendent American spirit has only rugged
salt in wounds that still have not begun to heal.
"Haste has laid waste to a memorial that must eventually come into being.
The unpredictability of memory, the individuality of our pain in the shared
arena of horror, our grief for our lost, or gratitude to saviors, "survivor
outrage," uncertainty and disorientation cry out for monumental expression.
"We all know that "We will remember them." Let us wait a little longer
until we know how."
Ellen Cutler
LNB Associates: Writing, Editing and Research Services
Aberdeen, MD 21001
----- Original Message -----
From: Sharon Buford
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2002 9:30 AM
Subject: Symbols or truth? A reply.
First of all - Artistic License - Napoleon on Horseback IS NOT meant to
show a SPECIFC moment in history, especially one that there is a PHOTO of.
Second, what does being united have to do with ACCURATLY showing a
HISTORIC MOMENT?
Take the flag away, add a woman, a Paramedic, etc., and then I will wave
my flag at the ceramony to dedicate a memorial to those who lost their
lives trying to save others.
How can we be united as a nation when we continue to be divided about
ideas?
What specific idea are you speaking to? The multi-ethnic mix of those
responding to the horror, or the fact that SOMEONE wants to CHANGE
HISTORY?
What would have happened to America if your forefathers had tried to be
politically correct? We would NEVER have had a country. Do you really
think they were worried about "pissing off" the English?
I could go on, but will stop and address the Issue and not bore everyone
with my Politically "Incorrect" views. I am PROUD to be an American and
live in a country where I CAN speak my mind and that Freedom is defended.
S.A. Buford
P>S> I invite direct reponses to my personal e-mail.
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