Page 26 - Studio International - June 1973

assertions as 'the insistence that art education is Under the circumstances therefore, the best way Multi media is the use by an artist of many
to do with colleges rather than schools ... seems of rebutting his criticisms will be to deal with media. Each media remaining autonomous. But
inappropriate' when we made our remarks that them indirectly - by showing how they can be though autonomous there exists the dialogue that
art education was accessible to prescriptions in circumvented, and how the two approaches has always linked media. When a single artist is
contradistinction to art practice conceived on the (philosophical and psychological) are using the various media the dialogue becomes
societal model. In the Remarks, art education is interrelated and complement each other, acute. This apparition, the diverse dialogue
held out as initiatory, i.e. into the practice. The instead of being mutually incompatible - as within an artist's work appears to be stimulating
distinction isn't an argument for shifting the Czerniawski seems to suggest. a great deal of interest within art schools, and
context of significance to a mythical 'educational Czerniawski argues from the standpoint of beyond.
system as a whole'. In fact it's uncertain just how philosophy, and expresses serious doubts that The days of mixed media left many art
sensible it would be to talk of 'the practice of the use of experimental techniques can be schools with the required equipment and strides
education' qua activity. (vide J. F. Soltis, applied to art and aesthetic judgments with any have been taken since: cameras and tape
`Analysis of Educational Concepts' inter alia). justification. Through the use of experimental recorders abound, video tapes and synthesizers
Moreover, the preservation of significance techniques the aim is simply to control variables are appearing like rabbits. But now we near
can't =problematically withstand capricious and compare judgments in order that their the dilemma : in the Diploma College the
`interpretations', at least not in contexts where relative influences may be determined and student may use a variety of media, working
intentionality etc., is being held out for as estimated under specific conditions. Indeed it is under the heading of 'Fine Art'. However, on
paramount. Since we did argue for clear that many problems relating to aesthetic application to a postgraduate course he will find
intentionality, the retention of meaningfulness perception and judgment can be classified that he has to choose one, and swear allegiance
by their assertions can't be assumed as given. If experimentally and that others could never be to it. This is the age of specialization, lest we
correspondence is to be the criterion of such settled at all without the aid of systematic ever forget.
meaningfulness - and here it's difficult to experimental psychology (like studies of colour At the Royal College (that hotbed of English
see what else could be - then the disparities blindness, personality and individual Art !) there is a wealth of equipment that would
we've already pointed out should be enough differences); numerous examples are cited in impress anyone but a Japanese, but it is
to make their desired programme Ca catalogue recent texts by R. W. Pickford and P. Trevor- segmented, like an animal with its body and
of methods') dubious. And that's not even Roper, (cf Pickford, R. W., Psychology and Visual organs pickled in separate jars. In an attempt to
mentioning the procedural bias which that Aesthetics, Hutchinson: London, 1972; Trevor- change its policy the Royal College advertised,
seems to invite: despite any residual sympathy Roper, P., The World Through Blunted Sight, last year, an 'Interdisciplinary Course', through
one might have with their sentiments, the point Thames and Hudson: London, 1921). which a student could enter two or more 'fields
is that methodological directives and sorting It is unfortunate that Mr Czerniawski takes of study' and so 'gain entrance to the college
techniques are not paradigms among educational such a narrow and solipsistic view of aesthetics. rather than a specific department.' Eighty
objectives. Theory communication (Freeman It is all very well for him to criticize another's students applied, and the Royal College quickly
and Brett's 'information') - the prime focus of position, but what 'straw man' would he erect withdrew the course, so beautiful on paper but
'Remarks On Art Education' - doesn't seem to in its place ? the administrator's nightmare in practice.
get dealt with in their prescriptions. MAURICE YAFFE And there, perhaps, lies the problem. Is it a
So the potential of such an etiolated Institute of Psychiatry, London. case of administrative difficulty or aesthetic
comprehension to (a) guide translation, and (b) ideals ? In the wealthier, larger colleges our old
support dissent, is clearly questionable. What hope, Leonardo? friends the civil servant and his henchman,
Certainly, if intersubjectivity is a sine qua non for Royal College of Art the technician, take the stage; at one college
sorting anything out, we might amend a Dear Mr L. Da Vinci with a dearth of sophisticated equipment the
sentence of the Remarks to read - 'in such We regret to inform you that we cannot offer you students are not allowed to handle it - they
circumstances one would be unwilling to a place in the coming session. submit their ideas to the technician, who carries
accredit to such agents the possession of any Though the examiners found your work them out (a case of 'Left a bit, Fred', or even
language', and consequently, wary in the interesting there is no conceivable course which `Nice one, Cyril ?') . . . There lies the irony; the
acknowledgment of practitioner status. In the could accommodate your diverse pursuits of equipment that so many people want to use may
light of this we might see where the difficulties Zoology, Botany, Poetry and Painting . . . be the very cause of their inability to use it. As
of Freeman and Brett stem from - that they There would appear to be a growing long as art schools consisted of paint and stone
don't have the problems under discussion. divergence in the attitudes of Diploma and Post there was little trouble. No doubt there was the
PAUL WOOD, PETER BERRY, KEVIN WRIGHT Diploma Colleges towards the structuring and odd eccentric who wanted to use both and
Cardiff working of their courses. Whilst many Diploma perhaps in those days the situation was pliable
Colleges are now offering wide and varied enough to cope. Those days are over.
How do you view? courses, the Post Diploma Colleges seem to be And over are the days of the perpetrator of
I was pleased to read Adam Czerniawski's letter enlarging the barriers between media, and the those attitudes. I do not claim that 'an era is
(Studio International, April 1973, pp 155-156) very dialogue between different disciplines. passed', though I wish that I might make such a
concerning my article on quantifying the The growth of greater laxity in course beautifully banal statement, but simply that the
aesthetic experience, which appeared in Studio boundaries in Diploma Art Schools appears not breadth of technology is being felt by the
International last October. In his letter to be the result of overdosed liberalism, but Foundation Students, whilst I fear the
Mr Czerniawski raised a number of issues that I rather to cope with a demand from a new Governors of certain colleges are locked in the
would like to comment upon briefly. Since he generation of students. This many-media- lavatory of a David Bomberg Retrospective . . .
focused attention on an overlapping, but species is not a new type as can be seen from the . . . Whilst the examining Board were a little
different group of questions, it is not surprising letter above, rather it is the flourishing of a rare distressed by your design project, 'Machines of
that he finds my treatment largely irrelevant as a bird. Make no mistake, we are talking about War', the Painting Committee noted that you
contribution to aesthetics; nevertheless I find multi media, and not mixed media, that short- appear to have only completed twelve paintings in
his comments useful and interesting, if they are lived rather anaemic bloom, once so fashionable. your entire life and advise you, should you apply
taken as complementary to my own argument. Mixed media was an attempt to forge a language again next year, to bring more work.
But as criticisms or objections to the empirical by the use of several components; lights, EDITH GROVE
approach they appear to be rather inappropriate. sound, people, et cetera (ad nauseam, amen). Cardiff
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