Sappol: The Two Cultures Update

From: Michael Sappol
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:41:54 -0400

Suzanne:
I like your response to my two cultures posting. But I think you misunderstood what I was getting at with my statement that artists are "making themselves into scientists and philosophers of science” (because I was operating in the ironic mode). I was thinking about performative aspects of contemporary art. I was arguing that artists play-act the discourse, tropes, productions and characteristic (or stereotypical) performances of science. This work, like other contemporary art, participates in the creation of marketable personae and trendy commodities. But in the best cases it also performs a valuable critical function--in collaboration with the apparatus of art historians, documentarians, etc.--mounts a critique of science, art, governmentality, markets and lots of other things that need thoughtful explication and criticism.

Mike