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A total Mishap A work of art in three days by KEITH MARCHAND
The pursuit of the gesamtkunstwerk, however, has one significant element without which much of the popular art of our century could not have been made: teamwork. Clearly, the gesamtkunstwerk differs from the traditional presentation of art. It holds that the complete work is more than the sum of its parts. It is in the spirit of the total work of art that we find Mishap. Mishap is the name of a group of artists who will stage an event that is intended to blur the distinctions between studio and gallery, artist and audience, painting and walls. Beginning tomorrow, Friday Sept. 5, an international group of artists will occupy Gallery Isart for three full days (yup, that means 72 hours) during which a massive collaborative effort will transform the space, with the final product emerging on Sunday.
Previously, these meetings have taken place in the Nevada desert and in New York City. One of the veterans of the group, Suzan Hatt, captures the high energy of the process when she describes the weekend as "a social experiment created to explore the real imagination of creativity--to meld rigid formulations into fluid poetry. We are a three-day living installation, a three-day construction of spontaneity, a three-day plow-down of social absurdity, a three-day generation of thermodynamics."
Mishap's weekend of art runs Friday Sept. 5 to Sunday, Sept. 7 at Gallery Isart. 263 St-Antoine W., 393-1758. $5. The exhibit, Traces of Mishap, runs Sept. 10-21 |
In medieval Europe, the total artwork, or gesamtkunstwerk (as coined by our Teutonic friends), was an obsession culminating in elaborate pageants involving as many disciplines as they could possibly lump together. This, of course, led to opera, with which Europe believed (and largely still believes) it had achieved a perfect marriage of all the "worthy" art forms. It is an amusing reality that in the 20th century, the total work is perhaps most fully realized in the form of the musical, which utilizes the widest range of disciplines to create a finished product. Amusing or sad, I'm not certain.
Painters, sculptors, performance artists, musicians and spoken-word performers will create pieces and also elaborate on each other's work. The space itself will be set up with false walls as a work surface and a sound system in place. The walls, floors, ceiling and even the air itself will become the "canvas."
Mishap will, for the most part, be in the foreground of gallery activity. At other times, though, it will move to the background while other scheduled events take place. Audience participation is encouraged, even expected, but the group is quick to point out that this is not intended as a workshop, social gathering or retreat. An exhibition called Traces of Mishap will follow the weekend, serving as a chronicle of the activities. But the actual event itself is the significant moment of the group's work. As such, it should not be missed.