[New-Poetry] POL: Prevent the âArtisticâ Death of Another Innocent Animal

TheOldMole Opus40-01 at opus40.org
Thu May 8 21:12:43 EDT 2008


Not if you're the dog.

Steve Moore wrote:
> I'm sorry if you misunderstood my point. I wasn't defending it as 
> valuable art, I just think that people are reacting exactly as the 
> artist was wanting. I agree that it is a sophmoric and unimaginitive 
> exercise. It's more pathetic than criminal.
>
> Steve Moore
>
>
> On May 8, 2008, at 3:39 PM, Joseph Duemer <duemer at gmail.com 
> <mailto:duemer at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>> Steve, your facts do not coincide with the ones I discovered in my 
>> research into this topic. The artist & gallery owner have issues a 
>> series of contradictory & self-serving statements. The original 
>> version of the story is, certainly, exaggerated, but that's not 
>> really the point, is it? Do you really want to make excuses for such 
>> a display?
>>
>> Sorry for posting the link a second time, but here is my take:
>> http://www.sharpsand.net/2008/04/27/guillermo-vargas-habacuc/
>>
>> Also:
>> http://www.sharpsand.net/2008/04/28/animals/
>>
>> The problem with Vargas' piece, though, is conceptual & ethical, 
>> regardless of what happened to the dog. Literalizing metaphors is, 
>> usually, a sophomoric exercise; in this case, a sophomoric stunt -- 
>> whatever its motives -- made an exhibition of suffering. Your post 
>> appears to defend that exhibitionism. I find that troubling.
>>
>> jd
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, May 8, 2008 at 6:57 PM, Steve Moore <s.allen.moore at mac.com 
>> <mailto:s.allen.moore at mac.com>> wrote:
>>
>>     I encountered this some weeks back. After researching into it
>>     quite extensively, this is what I discovered. The artist and the
>>     gallery owner secretly fed and cared for the dog, which was a
>>     stray they found, at night. The dog was actually well treated,
>>     other than having to sit around a gallery all day (which would
>>     bore me to death). Eventually, they released the dog, but claimed
>>     it had died. The whole point of the exhibit was to show how
>>     passive and emotionless art world consumers are. how art doesn't
>>     impact them on a visceral level, it's just an elitist exercise. I
>>     think he proved his point, but then got more than he bargained
>>     for when the story showed up on the internets.
>>
>>     -Steven Allen Moore
>>       
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Joseph Duemer
>> Professor of Humanities
>> Clarkson University
>> Weblog: sharpsand.net <http://sharpsand.net>
>> _______________________________________________
>> New-Poetry mailing list
>> New-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu <mailto:New-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu>
>> http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/new-poetry
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> New-Poetry mailing list
> New-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu
> http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/new-poetry
>   

-- 
Tad Richards
http://www.opus40.org/tadrichards/
http://opusforty.blogspot.com/

The moral is this: in American verse,
The better you are, the pay is worse.
  --Corey Ford



More information about the New-Poetry mailing list