Kevin Weil
I’m interested in slipping
myself into the gestational period between the birth and death of an object or
event’s ultimate trajectory. It is in this liminal highway of layered histories
where I interact. I’m engaging with infrastructural elements of a commodified
framework so as to locate myself within the much larger system that I’m
interacting with. It is through documentation of these evidential relationships
that the cause and effect nature of systemic interaction can be charted.
The arc of an event’s
occurrence is relative to the individual’s point of entrance and exit in
perceiving it. There is a slippery absoluteness that is often the result of
individual experience. The
entrance is not the only entrance. There is a back door perhaps, an open window, and these too function as an entrance. I believe that the process of locating our entrances and exits
is vital to our understanding of where we are, of how we came to be there, of
where we can go.
It
is there deep in the web of interactivity, or maybe it is right on the surface,
or maybe there is no difference, there is only that which is imposed by
language and systems resultant. Because things are not so linear and upright
and absolute there is infinite room for error. It is here where the wiggling
can occur. Where things spill and other things absorb the spill and those
things become another thing. This is the place where places claim to be.
What is the larger system you are interacting with (as referred to in the first paragraph)? Are there specific causes and effects you are interested in, and what slippages intrigue you the most? This statement is deeply philosophical, and I want to know how it affects your choice to use performance, photo and sculpture as your media. The part for me that could lead to an understanding of your work and media are the first two sentences of the last paragraph. In your work, you are personally motivated to intervene in structured institutions and hierarchies that I find very interesting, and I want to see the connection between that and the statement.
ReplyDeleteYour intentions seem clear, but I think your statement would benefit from discussing the different forms you explore these ideas with (performance, installation, photo, video) and their importance to the thought behind your work. That you work with so many different media as your process deserves to be mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this is going over my head somewhat. Like there's ideas swimming around and passing by me, but I can't seem to grab onto them. It seems a bit vague, or transient. But maybe that's good in relation to your work, you just have to decide whether you want your viewers to be able to move around that much within the statement you present, because right now it's not saying anything definitive to me.
ReplyDeleteThings that are clear: existing somewhere between the birth and death (the life) of an object and the vital act of locating our entrances and exits.
You don't address humor within your work at all, which I think is evident throughout all your projects. Something else to think about is how you question the authority of the artist.
kevin, your risk over intellectualizing your practice which is not to say it's not intellectual. simplify in your writing. think about making the poetics complex instead of the language.
ReplyDeleteI’m interested in slipping myself into the gestational period between the birth and death of an object or event’s ultimate trajectory. It is in this liminal highway of layered histories where I interact. I’m engaging with infrastructural elements of a commodified framework so as to locate myself within the much larger system that I’m interacting with. It is through documentation of these evidential relationships that the cause and effect nature of systemic interaction can be charted.
drop the word absoluteness and the sentence becomes stronger
The arc of an event’s occurrence is relative to the individual’s point of entrance and exit in perceiving it. There is a slippery absoluteness that is often the result of individual experience. The entrance is not the only entrance. There is a back door perhaps, an open window, and these too function as an entrance. I believe that the process of locating our entrances and exits is vital to our understanding of where we are, of how we came to be there, of where we can go.
get into the wiggling more, that's the content of this paragraph!
It is there deep in the web of interactivity, or maybe it is right on the surface, or maybe there is no difference, there is only that which is imposed by language and systems resultant. Because things are not so linear and upright and absolute there is infinite room for error. It is here where the wiggling can occur. Where things spill and other things absorb the spill and those things become another thing. This is the place where places claim to be.
I agree with Jason's comment, there is a very strong risk here of over intellectualizing your work when intellectual engagement is not the only thing your work demands. As such, I think the first paragraph is a little too cold and probably written in the most dense of academese. HOWEVER, the next two paragraphs work really well for me. There is still a strong intellectual or scholarly presence here but the use of poetics (like the back door and open window as entrance) seems to buffer this and make me feel that I am in fact reading an artist statement and not a dense essay. I'd still like to hear some more of your voice in this. Really dig deep into wiggling and spilling and absorbing... these words seem like balloons of personality about to burst. I would really like for them to burst.
ReplyDeleteMany points were mentioned by people above me.
ReplyDeleteFor me the first sentences in the first and third paragraphs work really well. In the first paragraph I think you can sum up your position within the framework in one sentence. I also want to know why you're interested in "locate myself within the much larger system."
I feel I would connect to the statement much better if you mention something about your actual work. And like Kayl said humor is very important in your work.
I really enjoyed the statement... although i had to read it couple of times... i think you can simplify it and put the same thing in simple words.... it reminded me of something that Agnes wrote about perception of the moment or the time or the place... am not sure about the chapter.. will find out and post it... but i think what you wrote that,
ReplyDeleteThe arc of an event’s occurrence is relative to the individual’s point of entrance and exit in perceiving it.
is a key.... but if you can talk more about the process and the art work and how it effect you as an artist in reference to all what you said will be helpful.