Project
2, Exploring Drawing,
Andres Manniste November 2008
Not there
"Ontological exploration is centred on physicality. The body and with it, aesthetics, is disruptive and transgressing of organised social systems. As such, art has the capacity to challenge order, reason and collective ideals."
Philosopher, Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) focuses on the encounter with the Other, that is with another person which cannot be understood as a mere extension or reflection of myself, and which therefore also radically challenges both who I am and what I think (Davis, 2003). Through this encounter, I discover that I am not alone, that the universe is not subordinate to my needs and desires (Solipsism). The Other escapes me and it confronts me with the revelation that the world does not belong to me at all.He values the lived experience as nourishment dependent on the knowledge that the “other” shares the experience (Beavers, 1990).
Traditionally a self-portrait has been an Exploration of self.
Ontology is an understanding of the space that our mind understands as existence. A self-portrait separates a subjective being from an objective self. The “picture” is not of me like a photograph but rather a container for the me inside
Begin with yourself. Propose a project that expresses your self by the environment that you occupy. You may use any material to create this work. The final project can be a group project where ideas can fuse into a novel way of understanding your place in the world.
Davis, Colin. (2003) Emmanuel Levinas, in Companion to Modern French Thought London: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers
