| The Art of Bridging (1) |
|
It is most gratifying to know that Amsterdam residents are encouraged to
appreciate not just water fowl, hobbyhorses and fleabags*, but perambulating
toads, burrowing dormice and weeping gypsy lads as well. Unfortunately no
explanation had been posted on this bridge - probably in view of the
correctly assumed illiteracy on the part of the target group.
* This is a slightly toned down reference to man's best friend (of the privates-licking variety, which is actually what it says in Dutch - also see WR 62). |
|
I still intend one day to write a reference work on the running of an art
gallery. You never know, I may include this impression in one of the chapters.
I was cycling along Keizersgracht, when around the junction with Hartenstraat I realised what the correlation between innovation and commerce really is. Had I been in a ruthless mood, I would have said that no matter what an artist seeks to communicate, he will always expect being paid in return. The funny thing is that this bothers them, not me. All due respect for and genuine interest in utopian dreams, but this one has me stymied. Would it help if I explained how the human brain - especially one that has been around for a while - needs several years at least to familiarise itself with whatever new phenomenon? It is this universal character trait of the human species which never fails to stump inventors. But now I've come up with a way out for artists: they should hire a personal actor, one who should preferably bear maximum resemblance to the original and who could otherwise always be retouched. The actor learns the artist's entire repertoire by heart. No sooner has the artist spotted the craving of the hoi polloi dawning on the horizon or the actor launches into his role, mimicking what the artist did and proclaimed several years ago and executing works of art using a sort of play-back technique. Meanwhile the artist has several options at his (or her) disposal: he can quietly continue innovating in an unobtrusive manner (people always forget that there is an element of delay in "innovation". A certain amount of time should pass before innovation is appreciated for what it is, otherwise it doesn't count. I find this quite soothing in a way, in that it implies that no-one can accuse me of not being innovative as this can only be ascertained after the event, which much to my surprise gives me a second chance), or he can plump for one of the other possible scenarios: doing nothing for a while, or joining his actor in whatever it is the latter is doing, either covertly or openly. And then there's the option of going undercover and impersonating another (fictitious or real) artist's actor, for example with the aim of provoking lawsuits for plagiarism or defamation of character. The possibilities are nothing short of endless. |