We Write History

May 20, 2009 • 5:03 pm • POSTED BY sriddle

Sometime last week, I came across this video created by TAXI NY for the MoMA. It is the first of the museum’s new series in which they will play short films directed by rising film-making geniuses as an intro to main screenings shown at the MoMA’s theater. As you will see from watching the short, it depicts a man who at first has no interest in a piece of modern art (Vladimir Baranov-Rossine’s Symphony Number 1) until he sees how it relates to his life. I was immediately touched after watching because it is singing my life story at the moment–same goes for pretty much every single one of my friends and most of the country for that matter, yay recession. Therefore, it is safe to say I am certainly within the target audience, as an eager 20-something, relentlessly striving to figure out this exciting, sometimes frustrating, post-college life while reminding myself to stay positive.

What this video does so nicely is show how art involves much more than pretty pictures, or, in the case of modern art, more than a combination of a hodgepodge of pictures. It is a reflection of the thoughts and feelings of the artist based on what is going on in his or her world. These are often the same things we are all thinking and feeling. Thus, it is the task of an artist to record the history of life. Whether this recording portrays the current economic disaster, weird gremlin-like creatures who operate a piano in exchange for Coca-Cola, or a favorite spring day, it is all vital so that future generations can understand our experiences and learn from our failures and triumphs. So, live with Art, it’s good for you (Mike Burton, one of our designers, made this, isn’t it sweet!)