Art vs. Craft vs. Stunt kites
Marty Sasaki
This note is prompted by a sentence that Steve Thomas used to
differentiate sport vs. art (or something similar). I'm sure that
Steve, or someone else will correct me if I'm mis-remembering.
Anyway, Steve said something like "Sport requires lots of time and
hard work, and that Art is something you just do." This implies a
misunderstanding of the relationship between art and technique or art
and craft.
Let's take classical violin as an example. It takes lots of hard work
and practice for a violinist to get to the point where she can play
the music as it is written. Usually, if a piece is played exactly as
it is written it sounds flat, and uninteresting. The artistic
violinist makes small changes in the phrasing, and tempo, adds the
equivalent of inflection to the music. She uses all the technique that
has taken her years to master and creates a performance that is
exciting and emotionally satisfying.
A realistic painter, (as distinct from an abstract painter) has had to
work hard on drawing and painting skills. He understands color, tone,
and perspective. He knows about human figures and faces, and has
painted still lifes of inanimate objects. When he creates his
"artistic" painting he draws on his experience and technique to render
the subject of his painting.
Ever listen to jazz or Indian classical music? As a piece starts, a
set melody with a set tempo is played. After a bit, the musicians
begin to improvise. Through long hours of playing, spanning man years,
the musicians can draw on the emotions of the audience, their own
emotions, and their life experience to create a unique, and often very
exciting performance.
Of course, I've simplified and generalized, and there are exceptions
(there are always exceptions), but the point is clear: the artist
draws on his/her technical expertise, adds the experience that life
has brought him/her, and creates an artistic work that somehow
transcends the technique.
Art takes time and effort and hard work.
One can argue whether something is a work of art or not, but when you
experience something that you consider a work of art, it goes beyond
the technique and the media and somehow touches you.
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All of the stunt kite artists that I know or have seen are good
technicians. They can fly the difficult moves and do the tricks. They
use their technical abilities to fly the moves that fit into the
routine. If you compare the top finishers in precision to the top
finishers in ballet you will usually see the same names on both lists
because a top ballet performance usually requires a high level of
technical ability.
I don't think that there can be an argument about whether a stunt kite
performance *can* be an artistic impression or not. Anyone who has
been moved by someone's flying has witnessed art.
There is no conflict between art and craft, craft is what allows
artist to be artists.
The point that Steve has made, which is that it is difficult, if not
impossible, to fairly judge a performance based on artistic and
emotional criteria, is not addressed here. I just wanted to correct
the impression that some may have received from Steve's note.
--
Marty Sasaki Harvard University Sasaki Kite Fabrications
sas...@noc.harvard.edu Network Services Division 26 Green Street
617-496-4320 10 Ware Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Cambridge, MA 02138-4002 phone/fax: 617-522-8546