Paper model 2010
By Stephen Surlin
This was a project assigned to me in my Intermedia class in my Bachelor of Fine Arts Program at the University of Windsor. This class focuses on the artistic practices of many mid-sixties artists who were associated with the Fluxus movement, especially the works of Vito Acconci, Allan Kaprow, Karen Finley, Robert Wilson and more.
Intermedia was a concept employed in the mid-sixties by Fluxus artist Dick Higgins to describe the ineffable, often confusing, inter-disciplinary activities that occur between genres that became prevalent in the 1960s. Thus, the areas such as those between drawing and poetry, or between paintingand theater could be described as intermedia. With repeated occurrences, these new genres between genres could develop their own names (e.g. visual poetry or performance art.)
Higgins described the tendency of the most interesting and best in the new art to cross the boundaries of recognized media or even to fuse the boundaries of art with media that had not previously been considered for art forms, including computers.
“Part of the reason that
Duchamp‘s objects are fascinating while
Picasso‘s voice is fading is that the Duchamp pieces are truly between media, between sculpture and something else, while a Picasso is readily classifiable as a painted ornament. Similarly, by invading the land between
collage and
photography, the German
John Heartfield produced the what are probably the greatest graphics of our century…”
—Higgins, Intermedia, 1966)
My process was one of cause and effect, a reactionary exercise based on the repetetive routine of the “everyday”. My early inclination was to examine my relationship with my car, especially driving. Though, over time my focus fell upon my mental state while driving. This state of mind I found myself in tended to be one of isolation, subtle unrest, possibly even fear and sadness. These concepts felt reminiscent of the post WWII era theatrical work of Samuel Beckett, especially the appearance of various states of “purgatory” in his work, i.e. “Waiting For Godot”, ”Rough For Theatre I”, “Act Without Words I”, “Krapp’s Last Tape”, etc.
Since I began studying Beckett’s life and works, I found a kinship to him. It might have started with my leanings toward post WWII French pop. philosophy, especially that of Albert Camus, in my high-school days, that led me to resonate with works like “Waiting for Godot”. Though it might be the way we, Beckett and I, are connected most through our detestment of violence, especially that of wars and other grand-scale violence. After discussions in class with my classmates and instructors, it became clear that I should investigate our connection through his car. It was quite interesting to discover that Beckett owned a car that was similar in colour and fuel economy to my own. The day I found a paper model on the internet of Beckett’s car to build in order to further my examination, my car was broken into. This kind of intrusive violence seemed to make manifest our connection, therefore, I made this connection a physical and metaphorical manifestation in my work by removing the window of Beckett’s car as mine was.
Beckett’s Car With A Broken Window 1
Beckett’s Car With A Broken Window 2
