Some thoughts on Art and the nature of Disability

So, here's an email I sent my class a couple days ago that I thought others might be interested in:

I wanted to follow up on our discussion yesterday about art. I think that there are several important points that you should have taken away to think about. First, that art is a subjective construct defined by the artist and the viewer. This is important to understand because it is analogous to disability, which in most cases is also a subjective construct that is defined by both the person with the impairment and the viewer. Whereas I may see someone with a particular condition and assume that they are disabled, they may not agree. Similarly, we have these emotional reactions to art, just as we do to disability. When we watched the clip "4:33" in class yesterday many of you had an emotional reaction to it and immediately pronounced that it wasn't art. We have similar emotional reactions to people with disabilities...we think we know what is disabling and what isn't disabling and we have a hard time changing our minds once we've made a judgment. We do this all the time with people with disabilities, especially visible and severe disabilities. We see them and make snap judgments about what they can or can't do on the spot without giving them a chance. Like "4:33", we don't take the time to sit back, listen, watch, and understand who they are and how they too are human with similar wants, needs, desires, and feelings. We think we know what art it, what ability is, what beauty is, what normality is, and we have a very difficult time accepting and understanding anything that challenges these notions.

Also, it's important to note that we have these notions of what art is and isn't and it usually doesn't include disability. For example, watch these two clips of a pas de deux (or "dance for two" in English):

1. Sylvia Pas de Deux: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8fItiPTKPQ
2. DV8 Physical Theater: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHV0CSwF25M
   
3. The Cost of Living Pas de Deux: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCaAvb3iCPg

A ballet critic and others in the traditional arts establishment would say the first is a pas de deux, the second is a dance with two people in it, but it's not art, and the third is merely a freakshow with little artistic merit. Why? Because we have these cultural notions about what art is and isn't...just like we have these notions of what is normal and what isn't.

Similarly, we think we know music when we hear it. But music is another one of those subjective constructs like normality. For example, watch these clips in order:

Arthur Rubinstein playing Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7ODJHUX_EM
John Cage's Piano Sonata No. 5 for Prepared Piano: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYsx5Di3bso
John Cage's "In the Name of the Holocaust": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q865x7K_QP4
John Cage's "Water Walk": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KKE0f1FGiw
Merzbow in Bilbao, Spain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nqZlzvSwXM

Just like dance, we think the Beethoven piece is music, the first and second John Cage pieces are less like music, and "Water Walk" and Merzbow are just noise. But...again...that's a subjective interpretation. Beethoven sells out concert halls, John Cage sell out concert halls, and Merzbow sells out concert halls, so there must be something subjective in the mind of the listener that allows for all varieties of noise to be classified as music. Additionally there must be something cultural about the art in these clips that allows for it to be classified as such. Beethoven was working in the artistic climate of his time and much of his work was considered very cutting edge; Merzbow and John Cage work in the artistic climate of the modern world and, like Beethoven, are considered artist's on the bleeding edge of innovation. Indeed it's almost ironic that the piece here that most people would consider "music" was written by a deaf man, while the "noise" is made by two hearing individuals. But, it just reinforces the point that art and disability are subjective constructs that are malleable and constantly in flux.

So, that's all for my thoughts this morning. I want to leave you with a few more clips that you can check out in your spare time. They're all cool. I'll see you Thursday.

• merzbow in korea and japan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbBBczzDeCA
• merzbow at no fun fest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsQWVyyoBcw
• merzbow in osaka: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlAIRuezn50
• John Cage on Silence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcHnL7aS64Y
• Should I Be In My Body: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6rRJA_2o4s (this is a man with a disability who used his body as canvas...interesting concept)
  
• Cost of Living Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itDRZlc7d8U

Matt