Vince Pitelka on sat 28 dec 02
> Perhaps I didn't say it well, Vince. I'm in awe of Christo's work and
have
> been a great admirer for years. I remember my astonishment - no,
childlike
> wonderment - when I first saw a slide of his work! His installations
bring
> joy; his instincts for site and color are flawless. Beyond that, he is an
> ethical artist who won't allow commercialism to compromise his work. When
> Mel cited Christo as the ideal, I meant to say that even vast preparation
> can't make things safe in what I know to be an unsafe world. I didn't
> mention this tragedy to denigrate Christo's work, but to say that we're
> human... We do our best, sometimes more than that... And yet there are
> unpredictable elements...
Carol -
That was eloquent, and very appropriate. Alas, this is certainly the case.
It's true in every segment of our culture. We try to live safe for the sake
of everyone, but in some cases miscalculations are made and oversights
committed, and in others "acts of god" occur. Innocent people get hurt.
Shit happens. There is not a damn thing we can do about that except
continue to live safe and look out for our fellow human beings however we
can.
Does everyone see the irony here? A good fraction of the American public
is incredibly ignorant and/or apathetic about misery and suffering occurring
elsewhere in the world, and tend to take their domestic rights and
privileges for granted (maybe a little less now, after 9/11). One of the
best things we can do to "look out for" our fellow human beings in the
United States is to use art or music to shock them out of their ignorance
and apathy, to get them more proactive in world affairs. That seems to be
exactly what that young artist in New York was trying to do. More power to
him.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
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