The Art of SaveMe Oh.

It seems about time for me to reacquaint those of you who either haven't heard of SaveMe and those who have, but only by default.

I did a long interview with SaveMe a while back.... here.....(December 2009) ...and I think it would be good now that hysteria and witch hunting have caused some to lose all rational thought to re appraise the role I am convinced that SaveMe plays in our art community in SL and in InWorldz.

Performance Art, according to wikipedia (here) is a concept which is open to debate..."Performance art is an essentially contested concept: any single definition of it implies the recognition of rival uses. As concepts like "democracy" or "art", it implies productive disagreement with itself.". That means that at its heart there is disagreement and debate as to what Performance Art actually is. This also applies to Art in general.

"From about the mid-1960s into the 1970s, often derived from concepts of visual art, with respect to Antonin Artaud, Dada, the Situationists, Fluxus, Installation art, and Conceptual Art, performance art tended to be defined as an antithesis to theatre, challenging orthodox artforms and cultural norms." [all highlighting is mine]

Now, one particular type of performance art was valued by the Dadaist and Neo-Dadaists and it was called Art Intervention...
Wikipedia has this to say.."However, unendorsed (i.e. illicit) interventions are common and lead to debate as to the distinction between art and vandalism.[1] By definition it is a challenge, or at the very least a comment, related to the earlier work or the theme of that work, or to the expectations of a particular audience, and more likely to fulfil that function to its full potential when it is unilateral, although in these instances, it is almost certain that it will be viewed by authorities as unwelcome, if not vandalism, and not art."

The little boy who told the Emperor that he was clothed only in his Ego would have been a sort of aesthetic whistle blower, and he is held up as a sensible sort of a chap.

Now...in this era where people who pickle sharks and other farmyard animals, or use their unmade beds when they have run out of ideas for a show are now famous, renowned and celebrated. It would appear to me that Art Intervention is needed now more than ever. We are blessed with our own fearless SaveMe and she should be appreciated for her courage.

"...but she interrupted my Opening"... well, ban her...how difficult can it be? Your mute button is your friend if you get bored with someones drivel...

There is nothing mean spirited about SaveMe> I have spoken to her at length and find her warm and caring but allergic to BS and pretension. The Serious Artist is gonna tend to attract SaveMe like a moth to a flame, and if you haven't got a sort of tongue-in-cheek attitude to your own art...well...SaveMe will have.

There are numerous famous cases of Art Intervention, Duchamps urinal being the focal point for a few. The submission of a urinal as an art piece was in itself a critical statement of an august art body. Pissing in it (Brian Eno) seems as logical as the two guys who jumped into Tracy's bed....

I am amazed that not everyone is an Iconoclast. I cannot imagine how you can strive to be an artist and not be iconoclastic. As I wrote before (and it was of course misunderstood by some) there are no rules for artists, or there shouldn't be. If we can't turn everything upside down and piss on it then we are too hampered by tradition and custom to really break free from the cultural norms we were born into.... poor us.

Now... to this current witch hunt... I spoke to Igor a couple of months ago and he said ...It is difficult to know why I log on every day I think some days I am just wasting my time.... (or words very similar to that)... and...this is a feeling which we all have at times, and the reason why we need to have a break from one time to another. This state of mind has nothing to do with SaveMe ..... Igor is not frightened by SaveMe, Igor can give as good as he gets.

I have had several occasions, recently, to note the higher proportion of drama queens in SL than in InWorldz. This seems, subjectively, to be the case. Maybe being Ruthed is a positive experience in that we are brought down from our High Horse and made to realise that in Life we are all beginners.

SaveMe is cool, and amusing, and if you can't see that, well, that still doesn't give anyone the right to call for her expulsion from SL ...

....calling her a terrorist is like being buddies with George Bush. Shame on you.

:))