Hal, I think the fancy word is "hagiography." Prior to events, Jeanne
Claude does everything to broadcast and control the language of the event's
description.
And the catalogs that precede events - usually done by a museum or a gallery
- Jeanne Claude controls the copy and the images of Christo's art. And then,
after the event, she approves what is kept in and out of the Documentary,
including Christo's art, and then the official book on the project is also
tightly controlled as to critique, and use of the art.
For example, neither you nor I could write a book on Christo that would
include his art with the Christo's permission - a permission of which that
would extend to the content of the copy.
I am, of course, extending these same controls to my estate and how people
are permitted to reprint and write about my poems and other art. I have been
training my daughter and son in how to perfect these controls since their
births. (That's the idea!)
Stephen V
> { -----Original Message-----
> { From: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to poetry and
> { poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Stephen Vincent
> { Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 3:10 PM
> { To: [log in to unmask]
> { Subject: Re: Christo
> {
> {
> { Every work of art is an act of violation.
> { It is a legitimate act if it liberates something else.
> { (This is not to be confused with George Bush whose liberation rhetoric is
> { oppression in disguise).
> { It is a mistake to confuse the priests with the message. They just be
> { ordinary people with "transmission rights". As ordinary they can be
> { frequently vain and variously opportunistic - confusing the gold on the
> { garment with what in the spirit is being transformed.
> { The Christos often can suffer from what priests suffer. I worked with
> them
> { closely on a book related to The Umbrellas. I have known them as entirely
> { generous to many. I believe the fundamental spirit of the work is public
> and
> { generous. Mark's celebration of Central Park in summer as a community
> { celebration is no doubt true. But, I suspect, different in kind from The
> { Gates. Mark is quite right, I think, in pointing out how The Gates give
> { rebirth and a public acknowledgment to the original genius of the Park's
> { plan by Olmstead and Vaux. Now that the Gates are down, they will have a
> { shadow, haunting effect (a spell) on the public imagination of the Park
> and
> { its memory of where the Gates were and what they do to refresh the
> presence
> { of the Park as time moves on.
> { The complaint about costs reminds me of someone who has just taken an
>
> { the Christos control every word that is written about the project(s),
> { as well as the reproduction rights on any of his art.
>
> Hmmm, well, they may have vetted what Mark and you have written, but
> not what I have--they haven't even vetted the Polaroids that Lynda and I
> took, or even asked for copies.
>
> Hal
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