or changing times but reading basic history it seems clear that every people thought that the world was coming to an end in their time, and that the shit was really hitting the fan. It’s the same old story, so I don’t particularly take notice. That is not to say, though, that I disregard what is happening now. In fact, that’s what so important and makes our time different from other times. I’m merely suggesting that our time is not especially unstable or dynamic in the scope of history.
It interesting you ask this second question. It is something I have discussed at length with my partner, Polish composer Ania Stachurska as well as other friends, many of whom are European. I have found that there is a distinct difference in the way we perceive history and the role of history in our artwork. Europe is steeped in tradition; this is natural for a culture that has been continually developed since before the time of Christ. The western United States, on the other hand, is very young. This, I think, influences the way history permeates each of our work such that it plays are far less prominent role in both the end product and it’s conception/working process.
To give a concrete example, Ania is from Bytom, a town in the Silesian region of southern Poland, established in the 12th century A.D. I, on the other hand, am from San Diego, California, a city established some 600 years later in the 18th century. What I consider ‘old’ pales in comparison to what Ania considers old; our scope of history is vastly different and I think this often influences our art and our attitudes toward the world in general. Perhaps it does have it’s origins in geography: Central Europe has been inhabited by the West since it’s inception over a millennia ago. It wasn’t long ago, though, that the southwestern United States saw packs of bandits rolling through a lawless land and men in large hats patrolled unpaved thoroughfares, revolvers on their hips.
American composer Morton Feldman also noticed this: the fact that Stockhausen could reference three historical pieces simultaneously in a single note was not terribly impressive. According to Feldman, history is a burden that must be gotten off our backs as a safe refuge. History gives something for one to hold onto but it is much more interesting to be cast off without so much as navigational tools to find our own way.
Could you talk a little about the intellecual background that has influence the way you currently relate yourself to your artworks?
I was thinking about this the other day. I see two essentially non-mutually exclusive ways of approaching an artwork as the artist: that of creating and that of discovering. To be sure, I do not mean discovery in the sense that science makes discoveries, but rather that things can be found inside something new that open a new horizon. In my work, I function almost exclusively in systems. While I create the systems myself, it is often a matter of finding an artwork in the system that suits my desires (the discoverer). This allows the piece to speak and to find its own way. It is typically only when I am at the limits of the system that I interfere directly (the creator). Systems are also a natural part of working algorithmically and with a computer. Even if one programs a computer to ‘make decisions on the fly’, one still must think of and create the system the computer will use to make these decisions. In digital work where one creates their own software, it is inescapable — as far as I see it — so it should be embraced.
Working this way seems like a natural extension of my own inclinations. At university, I originally planned to study mathematics and chemistry but ended up studying music and philosophy. Quite the about-face!
I was thinking about this the other day. I see two essentially non-mutually exclusive ways of approaching an artwork as the artist: that of creating and that of discovering. To be sure, I do not mean discovery in the sense that science makes discoveries, but rather that things can be found inside something new that open a new horizon.
In my work, I function almost exclusively in systems. While I create the systems myself, it is often a matter of finding an artwork in the system that suits my desires (the discoverer). This allows the piece to speak and to find its own way. It is typically only when I am at the limits of the system that I interfere directly (the creator). Systems are also a natural part of working algorithmically and with a computer. Even if one programs a computer to ‘make decisions on the fly’, one still must think of and create the system the computer will use to make these decisions. In digital work where one creates their own software, it is inescapable — as far as I see it — so it should be embraced.
Working this way seems like a natural extension of my own inclinations. At university, I originally planned to study mathematics and chemistry but ended up studying music and philosophy. Quite the about-face!
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