Project 4

The gist of the fluxus movement was to eliminate the disparity between high art and people--to make art more accessible to everyone, not just the upper class. By doing this, the fluxus art movement became a sort of "anti-art," giving the mundane or everyday the label of "art," similar to Duchamp's previous works with found objects. Though the movement is not still prominent, its effects are lasting--many artists now continue to create work that is meant for everyone, work that doesn't necessarily require skill in areas like drawing or painting (traditional mediums), and work that is no longer rooted in concepts only higher class individuals (individuals with more access to education) can understand; regardless of whether or not the artist is someone who has been active since the peak of the fluxus movement in the 60s or a new emerging artist. For this upcoming project, I looked at the work of Geoffrey Hendricks--specifically, the pieces which involved painting the sky onto everyday objects. Geoffrey Hendricks likes to refer to himself as a "cloudsmith," and this particular body of work focuses on bringing the clouds and sky down to earth. I particularly like his pieces because they have a light, airy feel to them, regardless of the actual physical mass of the objects (staircases and old boots painted with cloud patterns seem almost weightless). While I'm still unsure exactly what I hope to do for my final project, I want to create a piece to utilizes a similar aesthetic--making heavy things appear weightless, either by illusion or by re-purposing an object. I like the juxtaposition and the almost-confusion it causes.