Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 01:28:12 +0000
From: "Gerald O'Connell" <goc-AT-gacoc.demon.co.uk>
Subject: avant garde's sad demise....and bold rebirth !


In message <5D5C5C8C3A41D211893900A024D4B97C40EB11-AT-md.facstaff.oglethorp
e.edu>, "Lowther,John" <JLowther-AT-facstaff.oglethorpe.edu> writes
>
>alright folks
>
>appropos the avant garde
>
>what is it ?
>
>where is it ?
>
>is it over ?
>
>)L

First, the bad news:

The avant garde has imploded, disappeared, eaten itself, collapsed in an
infinite regress.

It happened like this: in the twentieth century the avant garde grew
relentlessly in popularity until it became the mainstream, but that is a
contradiction in terms that requires the avant garde to become a
tradition and the traditional to become avant garde - under these
circumstances it becomes a logical impossibility (and that is the most
impossible kind of impossibility) to produce any avant garde work.

There is a technical term for logical impossibilities of this sort:
'Russell's Paradox'. Here is an old, but clear, illustration of
Russell's Paradox in action, disrupting the peaceful life of a rural
community:

'A barber's shop displays in its window a sign saying 'I shave every man
in this village who does not shave himself, and I shave no man in this
village who shaves himself'- so who shaves the barber ?' 



Now, the good news:

When things get sucked, in this frightening way, into the black hole of
logic, they have a habit of popping out somewhere else renewed,
refreshed and surprisingly clean-shaven. Thus, you don't have to give up
the idea of producing works of art, in fact you can still produce
absolutely anything and call it 'avant garde'. If anybody objects or
points out that your work is unoriginal etc., simply feign impatient,
petulant boredom and say 'That's IRONY !!!'


Go for it !

Gerald O'Connell

http://www.gacoc.demon.co.uk/


     --- from list avant-garde-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---