the challenge
Today, I am on a special assignment: a creative exploration on an art museum. You might wonder why is that even a challenge. Isn’t an art museum the place to see creative work?
Well, yes. But that doesn’t mean we — the viewers — don’t play an important part in the game. The great thing about art is that once it becomes public, it is open to interpretation. Part of the magic created by art is taking place in our mind. And creative exploration is a great way in which we can become active observers.
The Art 101 Prism is an invitation to explore artworks in a unique and surprising way. The classic place to play with this Prism is obviously an art museum. However, there are other options which you might find more accessible, like playing with street art, or with urban sculptures scattered around your city.
The Art 101 Prism is designed to be played with at least five Seeds, simply because most of us don’t visit an art museum every day, so as long as we are already in one, we can use it as a setting for a longer and deeper creative exploration.
When I visited the museum today I indeed played with five Seeds. However, to keep the Habit Zero posts short as promised, I have divided this journal entry to five posts.
OK! Enough with the introduction. The first Seed I played with today was the Waking Up From a Dream Seed.
my insight
When I walk in a museum — often an unnaturally quiet place — surrounded by artworks that seem like windows to other worlds, I often feel like I’m in a dream. In that sense, the Waking Up From a Dream Seed was even more challenging when I played with it in that specific location. Luckily, I found this giant mural by Pilpeled.
With a perfect tension between the sad character on the front and its shadow with a life of its own, between the plain shirt and the crown, it creates a dream-like vibe. The size of this artwork — the fact that it is painted on an entire wall, bigger than the observer — adds to that notion even further.
I love street art and most of the time I see it on the street. Seeing this mural in a museum, among other more “traditional” artworks created a sense of unnatural placement — as if someone had created a bizarre collage of artworks and in the middle of it had pasted a huge piece from a totally different context.
reflection
My visit to the museum has started with this mural that felt like a gift. I have to be honest: I was already in a museum and I love street art, so chances are that with or without the Seed I would have found myself staring at this beautiful work for a few minutes.
Having said that, the Seed that guided me helped my interpret this work in a certain way — like magical glasses that help you see better. I was totally focused on sensing the dreamy vibe. The Seed gave a concrete meaning to every detail in the paining.
Does that mean this is the right interpretation of this work? Of course not. It is my interpretation. And it is not my exclusive one. I might see other things (or different things) next time I will see this artwork. That’s the beauty of it. And that’s the beauty of the ability we are developing — to see thing differently. Creatively.
To be continued tomorrow…
mental notes
- Use art to imagine — don’t try to understand it.
- If you can’t make sense of it, try seeing it with a very specific pair of glasses… metaphorically of course 🙂
now it is your turn… be creative!