Hrag Vartanian

Jörg offers a few problematic scenarios and asks when do you cross the line? He writes, "It has become fairly obvious that lately that our understanding of what photography is and does has not quite caught up with, well, what it is and does."

With about 1,000 objects it is the largest Bauhaus exhibition ever. MoMA partnered in the project (they sent 25 objects to Berlin) and they will present its own exhibition “Bauhaus 1919-1933. Workshops for Modernity” exhibition in New York this fall (beginning Nov. 8). In one week, 17,000 people have already visited the Berlin show.

He suggests this scenario, which is already kind of true:

"Imagine a scenario in which artists, armed with readily available information about how to take control of their careers, do so. It becomes common for artists to cultivate their own collector bases and media contacts. Artists pull down price points, favor work that reproduces well, and make it available through their own online stores. Just as everyone knows that there's no substitute for hearing music in person, but hardly anyone consumes the majority of their music that way anymore, people start buying art online as a matter of course. …"

While Jörg Colberg specifically says his post isn't intended to compare the two blogging platforms, I found his post intriguing because of the growing trend (IMHO) that is emerging between the two online communities. Namely, writers seem to prefer Twitter, while image creators (designers, photographers, artists…) seem to be gravitating towards Tumblr and its image-centric community. I post on both platforms and notice a major difference in the types of posts and the types of conversations that take place on each. While Tumblr feels like its still in its infancy, I think as it matures it will be a nexus for visual conversations (excluding video), which doesn't happen nearly enough online. I suspect mobile devices will help online pictorial conversation to mature and flourish.

"The rise of the literary form of the manifesto also parallels the rise of modernity and the spread of letterpress printing."

Among the gems: Antonio San’Elia's "Manifesto of Futurist Architecture"; Guy Debord's "The Society of the Spectacle"; and Dieter Rams' "Ten Rules of Good Design."