SKETCHES - The WhyART Newsletter  
                 "Transforming Education Through Art"            October 2004   

"Let us go forward quietly, forever making for the light and lifting up our hearts in the knowledge that we are as others are (and that others are as we are) and that it is right to love one another in the best possible way--believing all things, hoping for all things and enduring all things…And let us not be too troubled by our weaknesses, for even he who has none, has one weakness, namely that he thinks he has none, and anyone who believes himself to be so perfect or wise would do well to become foolish all over again" - Vincent van Gogh

For the past few months, I've been writing about being Authentic. This month I want to examine the meaning of Relational. Before standing on my soapbox, I  wanted to check out the world view, so I surfed for alternatives. Little did I know the search would lead directly to art and technology!

My first "Relational" search hits were all about database programming! It seems that everyone wants their database to be relational, so that they might connect different information through a common expression or circumstance. Relational database connections make organizing and understanding information easier. And connections need to be intentional to work optimally.

Next, I added the parameter "Art" to my "Relational" search and came across several sites that talked about Relational Art as a new movement following the ideas of French philosopher Nicolas Bourriaud. I must confess that his "artspeak" gives me a headache! It also doesn't help when his definitions are at variance with mine. The real difficulty I have with the relational art movement, though, is that it seems so artificial (no pun intended).  

So, what's my take on being Relational? In reading van Gogh's words, I am reminded of the qualities that make for relationship in community: support, synergy, perseverance and hopefulness. I think artists make art in response to the experience of or desire for relationship, and that relationships succeed when organic and flounder when artificial. Bourriaud's definition is reasonable, but it is reason without warmth. And, warmth is one of the essential elements of being Relational...whether one to one or one to many. 

Artist Surf

I know I will never learn enough Art History! Perhaps I can make up for it by sharing information about someone you may not know well. This month's star is Charles Ginnever, a sculptor who lives and works in California and Vermont. Ginnever has worked as an abstract sculptor since the early 60's. His work is at once mathematically precise and lyrically evocative. Ginnever's concerns with perception and illusion bring to mind the transformative nature of origami. He has used the Japanese paper art form as inspiration for his large scale folded and rotated steel forms, described by mathematician Ivars Peterson as optical illusions writ large.  See more at http://www.iwolkgallery.com/art/sculptors/Charles_Ginnever/ or Google him.

"No artist should be foolish enough to think that his idea is so original that it requires a patent. Making work the size it needs to be and showing it first can secure a "spiritual ownership," and that should be enough."- Charles Ginnever

Sketches is a free newsletter of WhyART.com and is available by subscription. Your contact info will not be shared, and you may unsubscribe at any time. I appreciate your thoughtful comments.         Michael Gerrish • 158 Riverwalk Way • Cohoes, NY 12047 • (518)233-0573 • mrg@whyart.com
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