HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-08-28, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2002. PAGE 5.
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But is it what you'd call art?
Afew years ago, Harper's Magazine
published an essay called The Painted
Word, by the American novelist, Tom
Wolfe.
It was a modest piece of writing - 20 or 30
pages long, tops.
It's central premise? That much of what
passes for Modern Art was a massive fraud
perpetrated on an amazingly gullible public by
three or four influential art critics and a
compliant art establishment of curators.
dealers and other assorted hangers-on.
The title of the essay came from Wolfe's
observation that more and more modern works
of art were appearing in galleries with
explanations of their significance printed
beside them, so that viewers could understand
what the works of art were really all about.
It was Wolfe's contention that, as the art
became more obscure, the written explanations
were fated to become larger and larger,
eventually eclipsing the works of art
themselves.
The subtext of Wolfe's message as I read it
was: anybody who would pay hundreds of
thousands of bucks for an Andy Warhol
painting of a Campbell's Soup tin or a
Liechtenstein silk screen consisting of a
blowup from a True Romances comic book
was someone who shouldn't be let out unless
they were wearing their mittens on a string.
I didn't really think much about Wolfe's
essay until I saw the barrage of invective it
generated. The letters to the editor section in
the next issue of Harper's bulged with
fulminating fusillades from art critics, art
professors, art gallery owners and other
wounded Culturati. They called Wolfe
everything from Judas to Homer Simpson.
The Art establishment was angry with the
Ordinary citizens are discovering they
have extraordinary clout and they will
be more inclined to use it.
The prime example since Premier Ernie
Eves came to poWer has been their ability to
_prevent his Progressive Conservative
government selling outright the Hydro One
electricity transmission network, which
shocked it as if it touched a live wire. But there
have been others.
On Hydro One, the Tories totally ignored
their opponents, the opposition parties in .the
legislature, when they argued the province
should not sell the transmission system.
But members of two unions went to court
and claimed the Tories had no power to sell,
because they failed to pass a law giving
themselves authority, and the Tories scoffed
they were meddling busybodies who had no
right even to raise the issue.
When the court agreed, with the unionists,
Eves could still have pushed through a law and
sold outright, but the case aroused such
concern among the public he dithered before
eventually retreating to say he will sell only a
minority interest.
His new Tory regime started off looking
bumbling, flip-flopping and unsure of itself,
not the competent, businesslike group it hoped
to appear. It has been deprived of income to
balance its books, alienated some investors,
weakened its theme of privatizing is good and
offended business, which it relies on to finance
its electioneering. -
The case also turned a light_on the way the
Tories ignored the excessive perks given
Hydro One's senior officials, whose president
billed taxpayers for almost everything but her
nail polish, and the Tories will wish the
unionists had stuck to their dues-collecting.
dapper little guy in the white suit, But they also
sounded just the teensiest bit scared.
As if some little kid had stood up as the
parade went by and said: "Hey, check out the
emperor - he's bare-assed".
I'd love to be able to say that Tom Wolfe's
essay changed the course of Modern Art, but
that would be misguided, if not foolhardy. I
offer instead a cursory cruise through the back
pages of recent Art events.
The awarding of the $20,000 Turner Prize
for 2001 for instance.
It went to Martin Creed, a London artist, for
his work entitled "Lights Going On and Off-.
The work of art was a vacant room in which
the lights go on for five seconds, then go off
for five seconds, then go on for...well, you get
the picture.
Unfortunately, that IS the picture - in its -
entirety.
But that's okay because Creed's magnum
opus narrowly beat out the secondtest entry,
which, as the program described it consisted of
"a dusty room filled with an array of disparate
objects, including a plastic cactus, mirrors and
old tabloid newspapers"
In reality, Martin Creed had the inside
track all the way. He'd already enchanted
the Turner Prize judges with another work
entitled "A Sheet of A4 Paper Crumpled Into a
Ball".
Citizens struck again when four single
mothers and welfare recipients went to court to
object to the Tories' noted spouse-in-the-house
law introduced to crack down on welfare
abuse.
This laid down, single women receiving
social assistance are treated as part of a family
unit from the moment they live in the same
home as an income-earning male, and may
lose some or all their benefits. It has led to
10,000 women being cut off welfare and the
Tories to boast they cut welfare rolls.
But the court ruled it prompts intrusive
personal investigation and undermines the
dignity of women merely because they receive
social assistance and is discrimination
forbidden by the Charter of Rights.
The court found the law also makes it
difficult for women to set up personal
relationships and forces them to stay in some
that become abusive by . pushing them into
financial dependence on men.
The province will appeal, but already has
acknowledged there is some validity in the
challenge by changing its law so a couple can
live together for three months before being
classed as a spousal unit and be subject to
losing benefits.
gays also have gone to court over the heads
of politicians and obtained a ruling the federal
law defining marriage as a union between a
But lest you draw the conclusion that the
world of Modern Art is disappearing up its
own fundament, let me direct your attention to
the work of California performance artist
Richard Ankrom. His latest masterpiece is on
display in downtown Los Angeles where
150,000 viewers file past it every day.
Actually, not so much file past as drive past.
Ankrom's work of art is on display over the
Harbor Freeway in downtown Los Angeles.
What Richard Ankrom did - and it took him
two years to do it - was re-design a major
overhead road sign. To do it, Ankrom passed
himself off as a government workman,
showing up each working day dressed in a
regulation hard hat and safety vest, his ladder
under his arm.
The modifications, done to exact Federal
Highway Administration standards; helped
motorists navigate a convoluted highway
interchange.
And the reviews?
Raves all around. Traffic snarls, along with
the attendant road rage, have dropped
dramatically at the intersection.
"The experts are saying that Ankrom did a
fantastic job," says a spokesman for the
California Transportation Department. "It's so
professional they thought it was an internal
job."
In fact, the California authorities like it so
much they plan to leave the modification in
place.
Ankrom says aside from creating a, Work of
art, helping out . motorists "was the whole
point".
Gee. A modern work of art that actually
advances the human condition.
How long since we've seen something like
that?
man and woman is discriminatory and must be
changed to allow same-sex marriages and the
Ontario law registering marriage must
conform.
Eves, who is trying to appear open-minded
and innovative, said he has no objection. But
Tory MPPs who have fought gay rights
through their political lives feel they are
powerless.
In yet another case, former welfare
recipients cut off benefits for life for
defrauding the system, have launched a court
challenge arguing this is cruel and unusual
punishment and violates the Bill of Rights.
They mostly failed to declare small income
from sources such as workers' compensation
and point out others who commit more serious
offences against society are not given such
drastic sentences.
They already have won part of their case,
because the court ruled the province cannot
recover the amounts they obtained
fraudulently by deducting them from meagre
welfare benefits due their spouses and
children, which it sees as punishing the
innocent.
When citizens have such successes stopping
government, it will encourage others to seek
them and the Tories have to be concerned still
more of their key policies will go down the
drain.
Final Thought
If there is anything that we wish to change
in the child, we should first examine it and
see whether it is not something that could
better be changed in ourselves.
— Cyr! Gustave Jung
Bonnie
Gropp
The short of it
A stranger danger
/t would probably have been about I 9V. A
blissful summer day in the country. To two
bored l0-year-olds, all pre-pubescent
restlessness and childhood verve, the hours
were long, stifling, claustrophobic.
"1 know," 1 suggested to' my cousin. "Let's
hike into town. It's not that far."
She eagerly agreed; after all, life is so. much
more exciting in town; and without so much as
a fare thee well, away we went.
Well, "not that far" can be a little confusing
when you're 10. My cousin and I had both
made the trip with our parents on many
occasions, by vehicle and it couldn't have
taken much more than 15 minutes from house
to house. On a steamy, summer day, down a
dusty country road, then an even steamier
highway, we were soon to realize that by foot.
the distance was considerably longer.
Thin, when a stranger stopped to offer us a
ride, we thought nothing of it and hopped in
the back of his pickup. Needless to say our
parents were livid, my holiday was over and
my cousin was unceremoniously returned to
country isolation.
I got off lucky. My little adventure even in
1964 could have been tragic. Today. I shudder
to think. This is a big scary world.
Recently, my husband and I went to an event
which was attended by thousands. I was
pushing our two-year-old grandson in the
stroller and as Papa walked off to check out
something, we took advantage of a break to
rest in a shady spot.
Out of nowhere a young man dropped down
beside our little guy and started chatting to
him. He asked his age and mentioned a
nephew who visited him every weekend. He
spoke of the fun they had.
Then he asked if I was Mom. Mitchell who
calls me Ma said yes, then the man asked
where Daddy was. I pointed nut that my
husband was right then working his way back
to us.
"Well, you have a good day, little buddy."
the man said before quickly moving into the
crowd.
The entire interruption in an otherwise
perfect afternoon lasted probably no longer
than three minutes. But during that time I felt
threatened, not for myself but for my
grandson. Something seemed very wrong with
the approach and particularly with the exit.
As a friend noted this may have been a
fellow who had a little too much to drink and
was feeling overly social. Or it may not have
been. Either way. I know I had a firm'grip on
that stroller. And my eyes stayed watchful of
what was going on, while at the same time I
assessed the possibilities. My kids will say I'm
overly protective, but I see no harm in
assuming the worst can happen, and preparing
to do what I can to see that it doesn't.
Yet, I couldn't help feeling sad that we must
be so wary, so suspicious. I also couldn't help
thinking how delicately the message of dealing
with strangers must be conveyed to children.
Our grandson is a friendly little fellow, and it
would be a shame" for that natural ease with
people to be removed through fear.
Conversely, because he is so comfortable
with strangers he must be taught that everyone
can't be trusted. Striking that balanCe without
depleting his inherent warmth and affection is
a daunting prospect.
On that sunny summer day almost 40 years
ago, it never crossed my mind tlity the stranger
could have hurt my cousin and me. What a
nice thin. it would he ti we could all he so sure
today.
Eric
Dowd
From
Queen's Park
Ordinary citizens show powers