I know a lot of people are put off by the idea of contemporary art, and I can understand that, but here’s the thing, contemporary art is the art you and I make! The Art Assignment uses this premise to introduce people to and start discussions about contemporary art. While the Art Assignment has a couple of different types of videos, my favorites are the artist showcases where we’re introduced to an artist and given an assignment of our own.
Assignment 13, Sorted Books, introduces us to Nina Katchadourian who challenges us to look at books in a whole new way. I think any reader can agree that a person’s book collection says a lot about who they are, but what is it that the books themselves say? Nina plays with this, challenging the reader to use titles, specifically those on book spines, to say something about the person who owns them. What is it that books reveal about the person who owns them and what does that say about the world around them?
While, Nina suggests using this assignment to learn something about a stranger or acquaintance, I chose to take this assignment in a slightly different direction. Books have always been important to me and they’re something I love to share with other people. I’ve always surrounded myself with readers, and over the years I’ve come to appreciate just how enriching a shared love of books can be. Keeping this in mind, I decided to explore this idea of shared passion through this assignment.
One of the aspects of the project that was emphasized in the original assignment was the physical presence of books, both in the creation of the inventory list and in the creation of the final arrangements. While I had expected this to be my favorite part of the project, it turned out that composing the phrases was the most rewarding part of the experience. Finding clever arrangements was satisfying in and of itself, but I particularly enjoyed acknowledging the uniqueness of the relationship I have with my aunt and reflecting on not only how reading has shaped our relationship, but also on how our relationship has shaped me. So many thanks to the Art Assignment for allowing me to take this opportunity to appreciate the awesome things in my life.
If you want to be able to pester me into doing future art assignments or if you want to find out more about the show, check out their website where they have links to all their social media, including their Youtube channel.
Assignment 13, Sorted Books, introduces us to Nina Katchadourian who challenges us to look at books in a whole new way. I think any reader can agree that a person’s book collection says a lot about who they are, but what is it that the books themselves say? Nina plays with this, challenging the reader to use titles, specifically those on book spines, to say something about the person who owns them. What is it that books reveal about the person who owns them and what does that say about the world around them?
While, Nina suggests using this assignment to learn something about a stranger or acquaintance, I chose to take this assignment in a slightly different direction. Books have always been important to me and they’re something I love to share with other people. I’ve always surrounded myself with readers, and over the years I’ve come to appreciate just how enriching a shared love of books can be. Keeping this in mind, I decided to explore this idea of shared passion through this assignment.
One of the aspects of the project that was emphasized in the original assignment was the physical presence of books, both in the creation of the inventory list and in the creation of the final arrangements. While I had expected this to be my favorite part of the project, it turned out that composing the phrases was the most rewarding part of the experience. Finding clever arrangements was satisfying in and of itself, but I particularly enjoyed acknowledging the uniqueness of the relationship I have with my aunt and reflecting on not only how reading has shaped our relationship, but also on how our relationship has shaped me. So many thanks to the Art Assignment for allowing me to take this opportunity to appreciate the awesome things in my life.
If you want to be able to pester me into doing future art assignments or if you want to find out more about the show, check out their website where they have links to all their social media, including their Youtube channel.
Comments
Post a Comment