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Michael Manning
Works in Corona del Mar, California United States of America

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DISCUSSION

Tool Time: Cory Arcangel at The Whitney


You saw what he did there, but do you see why he did it?

I posited my reason why...
Simply put I think these nods/references/jokes to 'art' throughout are a way to appease people like Christine Paul, in order for them not to have to deal with something that is more radical and out of their frame of reference.

I'm not sure I'm clear on your idea of why he did it.

DISCUSSION

DISCUSSION

It’s Only Humanist


I'd say secular humanist.

DISCUSSION

DISCUSSION

Tool Time: Cory Arcangel at The Whitney


I have not read that particular piece, so it did inform or set-up my perception of the work. 

migration of ideas and forms from art into everyday life

I might buy this in regards to the Jay-Z wall, you could argue Yves Klein set a precdent for branding a color, but I don't think this fits with the majority of the show. The Oakley M-Frames aren't much more than an elevation of a period of design/culture he fetishises to an 'art' context in a crude fashion packaged neatly with a conceptually backing about ergonomic design and technology+the human body (aka cyborgs in a non-sci fi way which I think is an actually interesting topic).

The phasing towers were much more interesting to me as a two piece that provoked this interesting dance, but at Pro Tools they are organized in a way that you couldn't overlook their resembling a Sol Lewitt scultpure.

The Photoshop gradients have a similar issue, they are beautiful, but come on, there are two that are such obvious Rothko references its like I'm being pounding over the head. The radial one is my favorite because it doesn't shout at me to see its lineage in the tradition of abstraction.

To me it seems this migration implies that contemporary design, software, culture etc. is being influecened by or drawing on 'art'. This reminds me of the arguement in The Devil Wears Prada in which the assistant is lectured on how her Cerulian blue sweater from J.Crew (or some other 'low' brand) was actually the product of a trickle down effect from the great hands of high fashion which used the same color seasons earlier. Like I said I'll buy that 'art' influences contemporary culture and that it would be interesting to react to that, but I don't see that happening here. I don't believe the original industrial designer of those phasing show platforms was channeling Sol Lewitt, or that the programmers who developed Photoshop were studying Rothko (this might have a better chance, but somehow I feel like they were probably more influenced by the massive number of gradients used outside the art world).

Simply put I think these nods/references/jokes to 'art' throughout are a way to appease people like Christine Paul, in order for them not to have to deal with something that is more radical and out of their frame of reference.