ON BURNING ART

First, let's define the terms. In my previous blog I mentioned burning art.  "Art" that is burn material in the Goff family is visual art.  And, with a few exceptions that could probably be called "secrets", art burning is to be done by the artist him or herself.  Meaning, I do not burn Peter's art. Peter burns Peter's art. ( I have roasted a mallow or two as an onlooker.) 

The burning is ceremonious, but not motivated by darker tendencies. Rather, it is a ceremony atop a practical reality---art is heavy. art is bulky. oh! and don't forget---much art is "bad" art.  Meaning, it really has no visual value, nor political, sociological, religious, etc.  Sometimes art is just a by-product of a necessary process.  No one is denying that process here. Go! Make art. Bad art. Ugly art. Messy art. Do it. It's necessary to existence.  But, then, don't be afraid to get rid of it, too.  Purging is also necessary.  Especially if you move as much as I have, as much as my siblings have (parents, too.)  Who can haul, who would haul piles of "process" art from one country to the next, from a rural acred yard to a tiny urban apartment, from the east coast to the deep of texas, to arkansas, to seattle, then back again? Folks, it just isn't in the gypsy heart to haul art. 

Or look at children---I just happen to have a few on hand to observe.  Children are prolific artists.  Each child of mine per day creates about 3 or more drawings.  Many of these as assignments in school. My entire home is decorated in kid art---I love it. But for every picture on the wall, probably 327 pictures have been tossed.  This isn't cruel. It is a practical reality.

In the Popol Vuh, the mayan creation story, the creator has a few failed attempts at creating humans.  On his second attempt:

"Here is the new creation,
made of mud and earth.
It doesn't look very good.
It keeps crumbing and softening.
It looks lopsided and twisted.
It only speaks nonsense.
It cannot multiply.
So Heart-of-Sky lets it dissolved away."

Burning art in this sense (as opposed to, say, mass burnings of fine art by militants, which in no way is this blog meant to condone or endorse or even have anything whatsoever to do with at all)is not really violative of any moral code.  Nah. It is indicative of a wanderlust, a need for movement away from stagnation, and the limitless creative energy that begs for more expression.