Fame (1)
Fame 1, is the first of a series of performance-based installations. Taking the format of a board game or ‘sew by numbers’, Fame 1 is a simple contemplation of meaning. Velvet red fabric, sprawled on the table implies life; blood, and extravagance, white fabric indicates simplicity, a blank canvas. The board game instructs the player to first cut 3 pieces of fabric; two squares 12” X12” and a third piece which is the remainder of the fabric. Then the player is instructed to insert the fabric into the fabric stretchers and sew the words ‘Fame’ and ‘Wealth’ on the smaller two pieces of fabric, and finally on the third, a tiny red heart.
My intentions for this series are to expose and question ideas of fame, a fascinating subject that is heavily rooted in our psyches. The constant search for fame can be seen in overt ways such as the increase of TV shows such as X-factor and Canadian idol, as well as in the subtle ways, such as how women compete for the attention of men.
The explicit belief in Ancient Greece that fame is one route to immortality always stands out in my mind as a reference for how our secular world deals with existential questions. Using a secular format (the board game) I hope the work will provoke questions about fame, love and mortality. Is our life’s work what matters? What does and doesn’t matter finally in the face of our inevitable mortality?
Hi Sarah
I thought it was very interesting the frames and what they represent it is simple yet effective in demonstrating what is really important.
thanks for sharing.
love Mom xoxox
Very interesting and provocative project!
xxoo an unbiased opinion
very soulful and thought provoking piece
I like the idea of fame as a form of immortality… or more, of how honorable remembrance keeps the spirit of an artist alive. Recorded word / message is the core underpinnings of our society {passing art forward through time}. Physical actions in life are fleeting; they may lead to all the difference in one’s world, but, in the end, what we are remembered for are our creations. Shared memories / experiences, children, diaries, art, legacy in all its form… all fractions / facets of the self; a capturing of a thought / feeling into whatever form of eloquence best suits our soul.
In this increasingly technological age, there is a new form of fame going around; social networking. Each person is a station / channel / program, sharing their media; their message; their memes. It is far from immortalizing, but it’s also more… tactile. More bi-directional. It is becoming less like the immortalization of four or five master poets, and more like a living swarm of art that feeds and prunes itself of outdated memes. Like each person is “giving life” to each post they make in the collective conscious art-web, and the live sharing of art becomes a stream that feeds many minds{ets}, and starves outdated ideals like racism, ignorance or political opacity. “Survival of the fittest idea”, so to speak.
As for your question about what really matters… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVMLsYUpuIw
Although our live’s work is what will “really matter” to the perfect strangers in the futures we’ll never know, the soul, no matter how ‘well refined’, wishes to live in peace and compassion with it’s surroundings. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, we all gravitate towards the love; we need it, feed it, live it and breathe it. What really matters is surrounding your self with as many and as vibrant forms of love as you can appreciate, and fertilizing whatever feelings bring peace to your world. Everything you do; EVERYTHING will eventually boil down to a question of love… it will flavor every work of art, every word woven, picture taken and moment shared.
A legacy left without a taste of honest love is hollow; the work means nothing if you had to die miserable and alone. Do not let this happen to you… Judging from your blog, I’m sure you’ll be fine… but I am glad I stumbled upon it, and glad to have been able to enjoy this small journey into your world.
Namaste, -James