Theoryphobia continued

It is proper time for artists to reassess and, if possible, reinvent the issue of form. In art, “form” is understood at two levels. At one level art might take on the form of a painting, a sculpture, a performance or even an essay such as this. Traditional forms are increasingly being challenged for their applicability in a world greatly changed since modern times. The whole philosophy of post-modernism really orbits around this issue. At another level, form may also be understood in the sense of the elements of design, elements such as line, value, texture, color, etc. In this sense, it might be claimed that little has changed other than the issue of their universality. Even so, the core issues of beauty and aesthetics (ang pagkanindot o pagkalami) of objects around us need similar reassessment. But the main issue for this essay is really form in the sense of the former. What forms can art take?

Why is this question important? It is important because Cebu is changing rapidly and artists will have to adapt to these changes so that these will work in the artist’s favor. Lifestyles are changing and new models for surviving have to be established by older artists for those who will come after them. Many visual artists and writers now find work at the call centers. Many quit their art entirely. But is this inevitable? Is it possible for artists to still do their art despite the pressing need for gainful employment?

Most likely, this is impossible if one sticks to art in their traditional form. In the case of the visual arts, traditional painting and sculpture may be too cumbersome to pursue while one keeps a regular day or night job. But these are not the only forms art might take. The “proper” form of art has become something extremely flexible in our day and age. Digital photography is not always art but it can be used that way. In the case of literature, publishing a book is not the only way to get people to read one’s work. Indeed, now is the time of many possible ways for doing this. In the case of design, there are many other possible ways to design products and put them on the market. One need not work in a factory designing products for export. That option is still there but there are others. These are hard times but it is also a time of endless exciting possibilities.

But the old mind-sets have to be reformed. A bit of reverse engineering and innovation would have to be done. Now is a time for artists, designers and writers to really think out of the box and plumb the possibilities. And they are many. One exciting field being talked about now is “applications.” Interactive objects may be designed and sold as “thingies” that can be downloaded into a cell phone and sold to a global market. These encompass the fields of gaming, general information packages and entertainment. What about making an MTV of your jazz or rock group and selling these to whoever you can get to buy? What about an anthology of Cebuano poetry? You would need a programmer, of course, but you will find there are many geniuses of this field walking about in this city. Collaborative work is also the call of the times.

But if this sounds too techie for your taste, there are a host of other possibilities. You might consider guerrilla installations, or guerrilla performance art just like the ones the performance art group “Xo?” does from time to time. Then there are readings of poetry as the local poet groups like Bathalad and another group calling themselves “Really Bad Poets” do. They would seem obscure now. But theory suggests they may be headed for the big-time, hopefully, sometime soon. The theory of art favors them and what they do. They are the future but only because they question the core issues of form.

Beyond this, the future requires for the artists themselves to exchange notes and thereby to “change” the world. But perhaps “change” is too big a word for our comfort. We are better off thinking: The world is changing whether we like it or not. The previous essay claimed that most artists now suffer from a disinclination to theory, a disease we may as well call “theoryphobia.” But this is a phobia that really derives from a wrong definition of theory. Theory is not some obscure and pointless discussion of esoteric hard-to-understand things. It is really the simple discussion of how artists may theoretically survive inside a rapidly changing world. What opportunities lie here? How should artists reform their art so it finds a place either in the virtual or the real time inside an ever-expanding and changing universe?

The maker of these essays will be giving a talk on this topic for “Design Speak,” 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 23, 2011, at the Chiye Mori Design Library, Gabriela Gallery, A. S. Fortuna. The talk is delivered free of charge. You are graciously invited.