Theory meets Practice
‘Jezebel’
THEORY MEETS PRACTICE
Background Information:
Title: ‘Jezebel‘
Artist: Bret Price
Explanation: This method of Price’s art offers a number of creative options for him as a sculptor.
Price appreciates the quiet simplicity of a single pipe bent to the rhythmic complexity that emerges from
folding a section of structural steel. A degree of unpredictability is always present,
which tends to tease ones curiosity and lend energy.
Description of Activity:
Aesthetic experiences happen constantly. This experience aims to facilitate a discussion about daily aesthetic experiences. This activity will consist of a short time of experiencing the artwork, writing down initial feelings and thoughts about the artwork, and then a short dialogue about the aesthetic experience with the object. That will then lead to a dialogue about daily aesthetic experiences.
Instructions for Performing Activity:
The plan for the sequencing of the activity is to go outside, reflect on the work, and then discuss the work. We will walk outside of DAAP to the corner on Clifton and Clifton Ct. to observe the sculpture entitled ‘Jezebel’. I will have pre made worksheets with discussion questions and a space for reflection that we will work on for about ten 10 minutes to gather thoughts before engaging in discussion. Then we will have a dialogue about the aesthetic experience what it consisted of and what other kinds of aesthetic experiences influence us on a daily basis.
Discussion/ Essential Questions:
1. How are you experiencing this sculpture an aesthetic experience?
2. Does this experience invoke any sort of emotional response in you?
3. Because this sculpture exists in a space where we are daily, does it affect us daily?
4. Does knowing that this sculpture is worth $90,000 change its meaning or worth to you?
5. How do other aesthetic experiences affect you throughout your day?
6. Are there any personal aesthetic experiences that are meaningful to you and/or affect your mood throughout your typical day?
Intended Learning Outcomes:
· Show awareness of cultural and contextual influences through daily aesthetic experiences.
• Consider how our tactile experiences and environments as they exist affect us throughout tour daily lives.
• Verbally contemplate how personal aesthetic experiences affect everyday life.
Vocabulary/Theoretical Concepts:
o Aesthetic experience- A philosophical study of certain states of mind—responses, attitudes, emotions—that are held to be involved in aesthetic experience
o Emotion- a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.
o Daily Life- the activities and experiences that constitute a person's normal existence.
o Cultural influences- The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group:
o Awareness- the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness:
o Influence- the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.
Helpful for thinking about the interpretation of aesthetic experiences: “Principles of Interpretation” From Terry Barrett’s Criticizing Art: Understanding the Contemporary (2012)
· Artworks have "aboutness" and demand interpretation.
· Interpretations are persuasive arguments.
· Some interpretations are better than others.
· Good interpretations of art tell more about the artwork than they tell about the critic.
· Feelings are guides to interpretations.
· There can be different, competing, and contradictory interpretations of the same artwork.
· Interpretations are often based on a worldview and a theory of art.
· Interpretations are not so much absolutely right, but more or less reasonable, convincing, enlightening, and informative.
· Interpretations can be judged by coherence, correspondence, and inclusiveness.
· An artwork is not necessarily about what the artist wanted it to be about.
· The objects of interpretation are artworks, not artists.
· The meanings of an artwork may be different from its significance to the viewer.
· Interpretation is ultimately a communal endeavor, and the community is ultimately self-corrective.
· Good interpretations invite us to see for ourselves and to continue on our own.
Reflection
Looking back, I wish I had have mentioned a few more times to bring a pen so that everyone could have engaged more with the handout. But I think allowing time with the discussion questions allowed time for people together their thoughts before participating in conversation. I also think I could have put more time into the handout in order to make it more fun and interactive, however, I am pretty happy about the outcome of the discussion.
I had hoped for the dialogue to be a bit more in depth but despite the chilly weather and strong wind, I felt like the discussion of aesthetic experiences went pretty well. I was happy that people felt comfortable enough to share their thought and interpretations of the artwork. And I feel that by the end of our conversation, we had gotten to the topic of personal experiences effecting personal perception of the world. And I was happy that people shared their personal experiences with the artwork, because this enriched the conversation greatly.
My intended learning outcomes were to:
· Show awareness of cultural and contextual influences through daily aesthetic experiences.
· Consider how our tactile experiences and environments as they exist affect us throughout tour daily lives.
· Verbally contemplate how personal aesthetic experiences affect everyday life.
Overall, I think that the discussion went well especially in light of the cold and windy weather. It seemed like everyone felt comfortable to voice their thoughts and share their experience. I am also happy that this experience allowed everyone to spend some time with this sculpture as it exists in out tactile environment and our everyday lives.