Perspective

Tonight I went with Brother Spatial to the sculpture class he teaches at the nearby university. It was great to see him in one of his many elements. This one, though, is a little more enigmatic due to the simple fact that we don't have the opportunity to accompany him very often. (Would you want a random visitor in your classroom every week??)


This is a stool in one of the rooms Ron showed me in the art building. The room was absolutely covered--floor to ceiling-- in plaster! It looked like a white volcano erupted all over the room, sparing nothing. ! There, Ron explained a little bit of the process of "casting," I think it's called, but don't quote me. I love learning.


It was a neat experience to be in the company of artists, with so many ideas flying around the room. Most fascinating, though, was listening to each student using words to describe their piece, something that is as good as imaginary at this point. Using words: describing tangible textures, measurements, colors, etc. to try to paint the picture of something that only exists in their minds... for other people to see. Sure, they had bits and pieces of materials--fabrics, wood, photos to help with our understanding, but goodness. Just made me realize how different each of our minds really are.

Then, thanks to Joyfull's comment down there, I thought about describing other things to each other, less tangible things. Things that will never be produced to be seen my the eye or felt on your fingertips. Things like love. Things like fear. Things like hope.

I think that might be what art is, or at least my definition of it: Creating something tangible to convey or depict something that is indescribable. Theatre, the visual arts, music, literature. It's all our humble human attempts to describe, maybe even wrap our own minds around, things that are on a plane that is beyond our reach.


...I don't think we're meant to reach them.


"Science kills beauty." -Gary Paulsen, Foxman