One Act Play

further exploring the new age old age comparisons from New Age Classics, i wanted to highlight an artist who i think embodies that ideal perfectly, Daniel Arsham. his frequent themes of time and its permeability have always drawn me in, whether that be marble sculptures of pokemon, or his fantastic installations. the base footage i manipulated was a simple walkthrough of an installation he had at Gallery Perrotin in New York City. the effects i chose to add i designed to be reminiscent of an old crt tv, while the “sweeps” into the next scene were a transitional cut i used to love seeing watching Turner Classic Movies with my mom as a child. by taking one of my favorite modern artists, and recontextualizing his work into seemingly being born from the nostalgia of my childhood, i hope to make the viewing experience more interesting while also pushing the commentary i want to make.

the audio is drawn from a reading of Mending Wall, both written and preformed by Robert Frost. Mending Wall has always been a favorite poem of mine, detailing two neighbors with very different opinions about the fence constructed between them. one wishes to tear it down, while the other believes “good fences make good neighbors”. additionally, several problems repeatedly occur which slowly chip away at the fences integrity, leading the constant recontruction to be an almost sisyphean task. rather than look at the poem as a piece about neighbors, i relate to it more as a new digital artist. many artists and critics are quick to dismiss new forms and expressions of art as “fadlike” or that they “remove the artistry from art”. it is not until both traditional artists and digital artists can be placed in the same conversation, that both genre’s can grow as a whole. to those who disagree, i say good fences make bad art.