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Fearology Of Technology
A Phenomenology Of “Educational” Weapons Of Mass Destruction
Artist Statement: Through An A/r/tographic Lens
R. Michael Fisher
Vancouver, BC
It seems my use of art-making continues to grow, without
limit, without caution—not always a conducive approach
to trying to make-it in the art world, nor to make a living
doing art.
The latest emphasis in my work is to bring the artist,
researcher, and teacher (educator) in me together as a
working a/r/tographic team—doing what might be called “integral
art.” I want to get to the soul-level and beyond,
as I pursue my own development of consciousness. I find
the art I do lately is continually surprising, as it leads
its own way—and I try to follow, barely keeping up.
All labels of what is ‘art’ and ‘my art’ are
falling away rapidly.
The study of ‘fear’ and fearlessness has intrigued
me since 1989, and I can see my art work is never far from
those themes—and in particular because of living
in a post-9/11 world and a culture of fear. Art complements
my more technical writing on these topics. When I find
there is too much complexity to convey, there is always
art-making to provide a comic relief, and provide to an
audience that which I know no other way to communicate.
The hard part is I don’t always know what I communicate
in the art.
I’ve been asked to write a chapter in an education
book on technology. I was interested in exploring the way
fear interacts with technology and education. I thought
to do art work (a/r/tography) as a way to bring ideas forward,
in which to later write the chapter.
Thus, this series was conceived as part of a research
project on understanding what “a fearology” was,
in terms of a method of inquiry, and to utilize that method
in understanding how institutionalized education (in classrooms
of the kind I grew up in and which are still the norm today)
influences the way we perceive the world and ourselves,
and the way we form first impressions, and later ideas
about things, especially as we are introduced to how to “draw
and color” and “print and write,” – that
is, make marks. The notion of a kosmology of the blackboard,
as so important in schools, is depicted by the fact that
I started all the pieces on a flat black painted surface.
This series is composed of works with many layers of meaning—yet
it has a simplicity of resonance, humor and tragedy. The
data is phenomenological basically. I have created a narrative
throughout the series that depicts a young boy’s
imagination (somewhat autobiographic at times), as he traverses
from Day One in school, up to his junior high years. The
challenge artistically, was to use basic computer art methods
and interact with them using hand art methods. So, the
art works are both machine and human made. I wanted to
see how much technology influences my art-making, in positive
and not so positive ways.
Each art piece is accompanied by a text card or Lesson,
all part of my interest to create a Fear Education. The
text on the card spins off from the art experience and
is largely arational, spontaneous and sometimes very serious.
At the bottom of each card in bold print, I have added
a randomly picked quotation from a scholarly book on the
politics of fear by Dr. Corey Robin—just because
I think his approach to the topic of fear today, and his
words are quite outstanding. The whole montage of collected
elements in the art and text together ought to express
a message that goes beyond either of the elements visible.
It is in the invisible meaning-making of the viewer, individually,
and as a collective conscious observer, that the real “stuff” about
our world and lives activates. Enjoy.
- R. Michael Fisher Ph.D., 2005
Vancouver,
BC, Canada
p.s. All quotes at the bottom of each art card are taken
from what I think is one of the best books on fear: Robin,
Corey (2004). Fear: The history of
a political idea. NY:
Oxford University Press.
p.s.s. Art piece # 20 (drawing of Trinity) from artist
Geof Darrow in: Lamm, S. (2000). (Ed.). The
art of the matrix. NY: Newmarket Press.
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