[NewMusic] Ribot rant and subsidized spaces in Europe

[Chris Broderick]

--- "Robair, Gino" <grobair at emusician.com> wrote:

> The utility of audio
> art has to be seen as important in some way,
> otherwise, who gives a rat's
> ass...

So I sez:

Not to get too philosophical or nit-picky about this,
but this American emphasis on utilitarianism is
exactly the problem, IMHO.  Our schools are more and
more concerned with churning out workers than they are
in churning out educated, well-rounded people.  Art,
culture, rhetoric, and the idea of learning things
outside of one's chosen field are all things that are
beneficial, but not (at least not directly)
utilitarian (do you really care if the guy who comes
to patch your roof has read Proust?), and so such
things are pushed to the wayside.

Art is, by its nature, non-utilitarian.  The value of
art is more intangible than the value of an MBA.  All
of us who have been exposed to or played a part in
creating art know of its value, but in a world where
the common cultural currencies are aimed at the lowest
common denominator, the art that is in the mainstream
is deeply utilitarian (as Hakim Bey says about
pornography, "Porn is porn because it works."  The
same can certainly be said about much of mainstream
culture.  If it doesn't achieve maximum penetration of
the marketplace, it is a failure.)  On the other side,
the single most common criticism of art that one
doesn't like is that it is "self-indulgent," meaning
it provides no benefit to anyone but the artist.  I've
always found that argument a way of avoiding talking
about the work.  We need a better way of talking about
the value of art than 'utility'.  Sound art is not a
hammer.



 
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