-
David Gordon, Response
- Wesleyan University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
David Gordon, Response11 ". . . he accumulates and organizes multiple views of a single phenomenon into one composition . . ." (page 97). A terrific description of what I think I'm doing. "Gordon admits he was looking for trouble . . ." (page 98). I was looking for trouble. I still am. I thought that one of the things about making art was looking for trouble. I teach now sometimes. I always look for the student who is looking for trouble. "They are not entertainments, but artworks that analyze and criticize entertainment " (page 101). I like this sentence. And I like it about my work. I would, however, change "criticize" to "comment on." I have no desire to criticize but I talk a lot and I can't help talking about digested information. It is part of a process through which I discover whether or not anyone sees what I see. I want to discover that they do indeed see what I see. Somebody recently said to me ". . . but you've chosen to walk alone . . ." Bullshit. I never knew I was going to be alone. I thought we were all in the same boat. It was and continues to be shocking to discover myself, by myself, at sea. Writing about someone's life, in relationship to their work, leaves out the days, the weeks when nothing was happening, or when nothing good was happening. Or the times when one doubted. Or the times when one doubted everyone else. The lows seem not to have existed and the great highs seem somehow flatter than they were. Example: "Inventing new systems for ordering movement — changing the rules — means criticizing and discarding aca- demic formulas." Actually, "inventing new systems for ordering movement . . ." means yippee and some terrific Chinese food if you happen to know at the time that you have indeed invented a new system which most likely you don't even know until someone writes about it. Or tells you. And what about the dancing? What about how amazing it is to be hurtling along and stopping still and making some personal order out of all the movement information you have gathered and continue to gather and continue. And performing? And all of the implications of being a "performer." And how to make money. And being young, and getting older. And how all things change your relationship, day to day, every day, to your work, the work which is all these things and more. I'm trying to say that what reads as a matter of fact plan achieved with intelligence and foresight is often a network of chance or fate and foolishness and paranoia and alternating aggressiveness and passivity and envy and naivety and good humor and some smarts and time and more time. 110 TERPSICHORE IN SNEAKERS [107.22.56.225] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 08:03 GMT) This page intentionally left blank ...