You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Ideas' category.
I have an idea for a conceptual art piece. But a digression first…
Today I went to the Princeton Art Museum with my family. Not much new stuff since I last visited, but the Felix Candela exhibit was nice. I was at the help desk at some point and the person there was explaining the museum layout to me: “Upstairs, we have 19th Century impressionists, and behind that the Frank Gehry exhibit, next to that [...] and downstairs there are more archaeological things, like Chinese art.”
“Archaeological”?!?
The downstairs area is a mess. In the Japanese art section, for example, contemporary photographs were placed alongside prints from the Edo era without any apparent significance. Oh, and even an American artist who has a Japanese name got into that mix. The other sections for “archaeological” findings were arranged in a similar hodgepodge fashion.
To bring it all back, this episode reminded me of a conceptual art idea I had, inspired by a concept I saw at the Sydney Biennale. The concept, which ended up not happening, is to rearrange the whole NSW museum: placing the Renaissance paintings in Impressionist galleries, putting Picassos in Aboriginal galleries, and so on.
But why do just that? Here is my idea:
The major art museums of the world should collectively, for a week, do some rearranging. All the “western” art that typically garner most of their attention can be crammed, with disregard, into the small spaces previously reserved for the local underrepresented art. Put Andy Warhol’s Marilyn right next to Raphael’s Madonna. Label the early Renaissance attempts at perspective “folk art” and Friedman’s sculptures “archaeological”. Oh, but keep the name of the gallries–call it “Asian Art” or “Aboriginal Art” or something equally generic. The remaining periodically-divided galleries can then be used to house the local underrepresented art of the appropriate period. If the museum has nothing from that period, then simply leave the gallery empty.
So what do you say, dear museum directors?
“Woffles”.
(HT: Woffles, via Simon Charlow.)
Inspired by parkour and a guy who was walking and juggling at the same time, I present to you And1Walking. It’s pretty self-explanatory, actually. Just watch this and enact it on the streets:
Some people think I have way too many blogs. This is true.
Anyway, I saw Chip Kidd speak today. He mentioned that one of his designs got trashed by one of those blogs that review book covers. I like this kind of blogs–I regulardly read Brand New, which critiques logo designs–so I searched for some. The best I saw is The Book Design Review.
In the interest of finding the smallest niche ever, I thought to myself, why not a book design review blog that only reviews philosophy books! Great idea, self. I think a total of two people would read this blog. But they’d probably find it interesting. To begin, I would probably talk about some great covers I saw in the latest MIT Press catalogue; especially this and this. If anyone has information on the designer, let me know!
I will let you know if I ever start this blog.
UPDATE: Funnily enough, apparently the author of the book design review blog also went to philosophy graduate school.
UPDATE: I am pleased that another philosopher has taken up this idea.
Yesterday, inspiration struck me with an awful offal theme dinner party. It would be a potluck, and guests would bring their favorite offal dish. Pig brain, goose liver, chicken heart, blood cakes, duck fries, et cetera would all be welcome. Vegetarians can bring items such as artichoke heart, tofu skin, black-eyed peas, or kidney beans (more suggestions?). Then we will have an oblong table covered with a picture of human anatomy. Guests will place their dishes in the appropriate region. Bon appetit!
