Comments on: Origins of the Aesthetics of Devastation http://hragvartanian.com/2008/05/31/aesthetics-of-devastation/ art, culture, photography, writing, ideas Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:33:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: hv http://hragvartanian.com/2008/05/31/aesthetics-of-devastation/comment-page-1/#comment-2655 hv Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:21:43 +0000 http://hragvartanian.com/?p=1081#comment-2655 I can post the article if you like (let me know)...but I believe Ashton is referring to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Tinguely" rel="nofollow">Jean Tinguely</a> and his self-destroying sculpture titled "Homage to New York" (1960). The big difference between Speer and the aesthetics of devastation (from what I can see) is that there is no sense of nostalgia involved. This new aesthetic is actually unmonumental (remember that was the name of the New Museum's inaugural show which featured many works in this vein) which would be in contrast to Speer and his obsession with monumentality and architectural gigantism. I can post the article if you like (let me know)…but I believe Ashton is referring to Jean Tinguely and his self-destroying sculpture titled “Homage to New York” (1960).

The big difference between Speer and the aesthetics of devastation (from what I can see) is that there is no sense of nostalgia involved. This new aesthetic is actually unmonumental (remember that was the name of the New Museum’s inaugural show which featured many works in this vein) which would be in contrast to Speer and his obsession with monumentality and architectural gigantism.

]]> By: Cliff http://hragvartanian.com/2008/05/31/aesthetics-of-devastation/comment-page-1/#comment-2584 Cliff Sat, 31 May 2008 23:44:57 +0000 http://hragvartanian.com/?p=1081#comment-2584 I can't find an online version of the Dore Ashton essay mentioned, but if you know of a link that would be helpful in fleshing out "distracted and frantically bizarre," production, that would be helpful. The aesthetics of devastation reminds me of the aesthetics of ruins, infamously conceptualized by Albert Speer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruin_value (strangely relates to Creative Time's Tribute in Light) I can’t find an online version of the Dore Ashton essay mentioned, but if you know of a link that would be helpful in fleshing out “distracted and frantically bizarre,” production, that would be helpful.

The aesthetics of devastation reminds me of the aesthetics of ruins, infamously conceptualized by Albert Speer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruin_value

(strangely relates to Creative Time’s Tribute in Light)

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