Nov 22 2009
Get Real
The exhibit “Looking at Music: Side 2” embodies the time of the 70’s. As I walked in, the first thing that caught my attention was a song by Patti Smith called “Piss Factory.” The lyrics were full of raw passion and hope. “I’m gonna be somebody, I’m gonna get on that train, go to New York City,/ I’m gonna be so big, I’m gonna be a big star and I will never return.” This represents the spirit of the 70’s. Everyone wanted to break out from where they were, and go some place new. Everyone had bigger dreams; no one wanted to be locked in. In a way it was inspirational, representing people who dreamed big dreams and even encouraging them to go for it. It’s music that speaks to people.
The other work that really caught my eye was “Truism” by Jenny Holzer. It was a list of sayings that she believed to be true. Captivated by this, I spent a good while reading the whole thing. “Ambivalence can ruin your life,” was one that I certainly agreed with because I could relate to it. Almost all of the sayings were ideas that anyone could relate to, and I believe that that’s what truly made this work authentic. Other sayings that stuck out to me were, “Hiding your motives is despicable,” “Being happy is more important that anything else,” and “Drama often obscures the real issues.” I feel like if people took the time to stop and appreciate this work, they would leave more knowledgeable and more enlightened.
That is the effect that art should have on people after all. They should learn from it, in one way or another, and people should be able to take something away from the art after observing it, which is just what I did after looking at this exhibit. 🙂
I liked “Piss Factory,” but not “Truism.” Patti Smith’s work is amazing. I didn’t like the poem because it was so long, and my attention span (especially in museums) isn’t very long haha.
I haven’t seen many entries that weren’t on music only. I liked how you managed to find a little proverb in everything that you looked at. =D
I would agree with that but also i think its because the music business has changed damatically. Its much harder for actual talent to make it big in current times. Agents look for a pretty face and a decent voice and have someone write the music for them. Todays music business is almost not really the music business but becominng more of a modeling contest.
I think it’s fascinating how in the 70s many teenagers wanted to come to NYC to make it big and be just like the Ramones. Now many people run away from it, and just rather come for two weeks and leave. I think mainly because the musicians today are not really dedicated and willing to take up a challenge.