The Musicbanter 2009 Awards - Voting Round, yarr!!

Neapolitan · 12-28-2009, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Summary: I am more interested in the process people use to make music than in critiques of the finished product, the music itself. Listening to music for me is rather like looking at a still photograph of a ballet: I much prefer watching the movement that creates the ballet. In this analogy, the movement of the ballet equals the intentions, abandon, and exuberance of the people as they think of and construct new music and especially lyrics.

You don't have to stare at the sun all day to appreciate the magnificence of a fleeting yet beautiful sunset. The photograph of a ballet is art in itself. Photography is a the perfection of the representation of life that was once done by painting. Photgraphy is just a mechanical act of painting where the movement of the paint brush is replaced by the manipulation of light through the lens, the stroke of the brush is replaced by the aperture. A photograph is a reflection of a point in time it is not greater then what it represents, yet limited as it is, it reveals some detail of life that might be overlooked. Even though the ballet is seen as superior to a still photograph of a ballet, and the performance itself more important the practice that goes into it. I think it is just as important to appreciate the practice, the performance, and the documentation of it, as all it goes into a fuller understanding each reenforces the point of veiw of the other. Hilaire Germain Edgar De Gas is famous for his paintings and drawlings and sculptures of ballerinas, he was drawn to ballet and he drew ballerinas and his drawling of ballerinas draws you into his perspective of the ballet. He captures the minute details of the behind the scenes of the ballet, if you seen one of his drawling you could almost imagine hearing one of the ballerina exasperatingly saying "fatigue!" Lynn Swann who who played for the greatest sports team in American history, the Pittsburgh Steelers, took ballet lessons along with tap etc, he said of them "They helped a great deal with body control, balance, a sense of rhythm, and timing." Who knows what would had happen if he didn't take those lessons, maybe Pittsburgh Steelers might of only have four instead of six Superbowl rings. I never been to a ballet except seeing Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake on televison.

VEGANGELICA · 12-29-2009, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neapolitan

You don't have to stare at the sun all day to appreciate the magnificence of a fleeting yet beautiful sunset. The photograph of a ballet is art in itself. Photography is a the perfection of the representation of life that was once done by painting. Photgraphy is just a mechanical act of painting where the movement of the paint brush is replaced by the manipulation of light through the lens, the stroke of the brush is replaced by the aperture. A photograph is a reflection of a point in time it is not greater then what it represents, yet limited as it is, it reveals some detail of life that might be overlooked. Even though the ballet is seen as superior to a still photograph of a ballet, and the performance itself more important the practice that goes into it. I think it is just as important to appreciate the practice, the performance, and the documentation of it, as all it goes into a fuller understanding each reenforces the point of veiw of the other. Hilaire Germain Edgar De Gas is famous for his paintings and drawlings and sculptures of ballerinas, he was drawn to ballet and he drew ballerinas and his drawling of ballerinas draws you into his perspective of the ballet. He captures the minute details of the behind the scenes of the ballet, if you seen one of his drawling you could almost imagine hearing one of the ballerina exasperatingly saying "fatigue!" Lynn Swann who who played for the greatest sports team in American history, the Pittsburgh Steelers, took ballet lessons along with tap etc, he said of them "They helped a great deal with body control, balance, a sense of rhythm, and timing." Who knows what would had happen if he didn't take those lessons, maybe Pittsburgh Steelers might of only have four instead of six Superbowl rings. I never been to a ballet except seeing Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake on televison.

Yes, I agree, Neapolitan, that photography offers insights that may not be visible when observing the reality (that was photographed) from the audience's perspective, which may have been limited.

When I interact with some artform (whether music, painting, photography, or dance), I feel the most pleasure by combining all three modes of interaction: seeing the photo/performance, learning about the process used to create the artwork, and also experiencing what it is like to create that artform myself. I try to get as many perspectives as possible. Listening to a song, the performance, is certainly mesmerizing, but more so if I know more about the composition process the person used to create it. All reveal more of the person behind the art...and it is the person who I feel is the real "artwork."

Still, I tend to enjoy trying to see the whole creative process rather than the photograph of it, because I feel the photograph misses much of reality since it is a still shot of life and life never stands still.

Similarly, voting on members is like a photograph of that member, and misses much though may capture an essence or at least one person's perspective.

Neapolitan · 12-29-2009, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Still, I tend to enjoy trying to see the whole creative process rather than the photograph of it, because I feel the photograph misses much of reality since it is a still shot of life and life never stands still.

Yes, I agree, Neapolitan, that photography offers insights that may not be visible when observing the reality (that was photographed) from the audience's perspective, which may have been limited.

Even though life never stands still the still photograph captures and reveals the little fleeting moments of life, and taken into consederation what you said about the more you about the whole process, the more you know about the subject in the photograph, the less the still photograph is that one particular instance in time that was recorded on film and developed on photographic paper. The more information you have surrounding the photo the less it is an instance not frozen in time; but more a part of time. A part of time where there is a history, before and after snap shot, and also history of how and why the picture was taken. The photograph is a documentation of history, but it's very unlike other forms of documentation which records history through a segement of time. I guess a good analogy would be point:still photograph::line segment:whatever (oral tradition, book, film) but what it lacks revealing the whole event in time it makes up for in that a still photograph or painting allows person to use her imagination to elaborate on the events that happens before and after the event - like a play whose actors talk about events that happen "off screen." The painting or photograph is meant to evoke the imagination, it not meant to be a objective experience but a subjective particiption in which the artist allows you to become an artist in veiwing his art by giving you some senario in which you fill in all the other details left out of the photograph. It also does what many people wish for that is to freeze time, to let a moment linger a little longer, to capture clearer an event that would become a vague memory dulled through the passage of time.

Neapolitan · 12-29-2009, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Similarly, voting on members is like a photograph of that member, and misses much though may capture an essence or at least one person's perspective.

I would go even farther with your analogy (if you don't mind) and say that the posts are the photographs of the members; and voting on the members is like a photocopy of a photograph, where photocopy of the photograph aint too sharp because Xerox machine needs the toner catridge needs to be replaced.

VEGANGELICA · 01-02-2010, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neapolitan

The photograph is a documentation of history, but it's very unlike other forms of documentation which records history through a segement of time...[...] what it lacks revealing the whole event in time it makes up for in that a still photograph or painting allows person to use her imagination to elaborate on the events that happens before and after the event - like a play whose actors talk about events that happen "off screen." The painting or photograph is meant to evoke the imagination, it not meant to be a objective experience but a subjective particiption in which the artist allows you to become an artist in veiwing his art by giving you some senario in which you fill in all the other details left out of the photograph. It also does what many people wish for that is to freeze time, to let a moment linger a little longer, to capture clearer an event that would become a vague memory dulled through the passage of time.

A very lovely description of the evokative function of a photograph or painting, Neapolitan: a photograph is like a play whose actors talk about events that happen off screen. I like your analogy very much. We should probably move our discussion to the photography or art thread to discuss more, though!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neapolitan

I would go even farther with your analogy (if you don't mind) and say that the posts are the photographs of the members; and voting on the members is like a photocopy of a photograph, where photocopy of the photograph aint too sharp because Xerox machine needs the toner catridge needs to be replaced.

I don't mind at all, or course...and agree with you that voting is like imperfect Xerox copies of the photograph-posts! You see...I really do like the way you think and write.