Janet Kaiser on wed 25 sep 02
I tried finding an image of Eric Ischl's "Tumbling Woman" (as I think it
is called), but was surprised the same small/fairly poor Associated Press
photo was all the many news sites from Australia to New York had to offer.
I made a special effort, because I was very touched by Carla's post this
evening, as I am sure we all were.
What made it especially poignant for me, was that it is in stark contrast
to my own experience of September 11th. I think I must be the only person
in the western world who has not seen an inch of motion picture footage. My
visual repertoire extends to only half a dozen stills, most of which were
"hidden" in other articles in magazines in the year since and non was
thankfully of any of those who jumped. I never watch TV nor do we take a
daily newspaper. It has been a blessing, because I am not haunted in the
same way millions have been. Not to mention the thousands like Carla, who
were heroically working on site or those who escaped the devastation.
But "sound pictures" can be (and were) very disturbing. Sometimes the
imagination can be far worse than a "reality" witnessed on a TV screen. It
is like one of those reoccurring dreams where the Unknown Terror is just
going to grab you, but you wake up just before it does and "all is
reveled". It leaves you with a sense of dread and foreboding which is put
off for another day...
So when I saw the Ischl sculpture (however poor the image) I must say that
I found it in no way as horrible or grotesque as my "imagined images". Of
course we probably all "continue the action" of what is represented by the
artist and THAT is what causes us to baulk... Just as Carla will have
flashback when she stands at a meat counter. I believe it is our own
psychological baggage which makes an objective and dispassionate critique
of this sculpture impossible.
What was of interest on one site when I was searching, was the list of
"similar stories" as follows:
Bikini Brouhaha Over Mary Painting
Dung Hits The Fan In NYC
The Art Of Controversy
Hillary Weighs In On Art War
Artist's Virgin Mary Defaced
Nazi Images Exhibit Draws Fire
Moo York, Moo York
Judge Sides With NYC Museum
Sinead Sings And Speaks Her Mind
Which makes me think there should be a new proverb or saying: "Where there
is Art, there is Controversy".
Sincerely
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art =95 Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent, Criccieth LL52 0EA, Wales, UK
Tel: 01766-523570 URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
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