Without a statement of curatorial intent, does selection (inclusion and exclusion) imply a value judgement? Does it have to?
Tuesday, 3 July 2007 - 3:31 PM EDT
Name: "John Massier"
It's definitely still a value judgement, but it's an ambiguous one, or more accurately, the specific value judgement is left to the viewer. The person selecting likely has preferences among their choices, but all are presented equally. I like it.
When I was once thinking about when we started LOLA, I remembered how it began as a response to a perceived need—not enough art writing. Then I wondered if the solution should have been MORE art writing. Maybe it should have been NO art writing. Maybe LOLA should have been a picture book....
Tuesday, 3 July 2007 - 3:45 PM EDT
Name: "J@simpleposie"If the selections are made with intent then yeah there is an implied value judgement. If on the other hand, they are pulling image urls out of a bag blindfolded - it still implies a judgement albeit one that is arrived at by haphazard methodology. Whether or not there is a public statement of curatorial intent has no bearing whatsoever on the making or not of judgements.
Tuesday, 3 July 2007 - 6:18 PM EDT
Name: "sally"
I don't think VVork's judgements are along the lines of "we post it if it's good," nor even "we post it if it's interesting." Nor "we post it if it's culturally relevant", nor even "we post it if it exemplifies a theme." There's a lot of chess art out there that isn't on VVork today. I think their choices are made fast, without any mandate to cover all the bases. I like that it feels like judgement at an early stage in the process, before any decisions have been made. What makes me slightly unsettled, is the ease with which taste and class and cultural conditioning can invisibly limit a seemingly free-wheeling open process.
Wednesday, 4 July 2007 - 2:25 AM EDT
Name: "CJB"
Selection, unless made by a robot or script, implies an aesthetic judgement, which to my mind is quantitatively different than a value judgement. Value judgements are conservative, a check of beliefs and opinions held. Aesthetic judgements are given involuntarily, and may often contradict said beliefs and opinions.
Lorna, I'm going to write long answers to each of your questions, not tonight. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, 4 July 2007 - 7:05 AM EDT
Name: "J@simpleposie"
Hi CJB, LM,
Aesthetic judgements are given involuntarily, and may often contradict said beliefs and opinions.
Regardless of their involuntary"ness", they are still evaluations, because they reflect an understanding of objects comprised of values such as tone and duration in music, specific meanings of words in literature, numerical assignations in sciences and colour and material relationships in visual art etc. These are not the same as beliefs and opinions though they are also called values.Wednesday, 4 July 2007 - 10:42 AM EDT
Name: "L.M."
You are right J, they are both evaluations, but I still like the distinctions that CJB makes.
Looking forward to reading your comments CJB.
Thursday, 5 July 2007 - 12:17 AM EDT
Name: "CJB"As above.
Friday, 6 July 2007 - 3:26 PM EDT
Name: "Roberto Winter"
"Selection, unless made by a robot or script, implies an aesthetic judgement"
Remember that people make robots, people write scripts, and so on!!! (Even Natural Selection was invented by people...)
