[meteorite-list] "Meteorite" Sculpture by Katie Paterson

From: Laura_at_CopperWired.com <Laura_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2014 17:10:27 -0400
Message-ID: <0c1001cfb284$042ae160$0c80a420$_at_copperwired.com>

Ok, so now I have to give my two cents...sense! I too do artwork involving
meteorites, love the hunt, and collecting. I might note that "no meteorite
was harmed in the making of my work!" (I don't even like the idea of slicing
one into pieces, but that is my own issue, and it is done every day, and I
own slices of them too!)

There are a few questions to ask, that if these found items are raised up to
a level that, we as creatures with opposable thumbs and conscience thought,
elevate them to the point of greater importance, then has meteorites become
something of worship for modern day society? If so, then what right do any
of us have to claim ownership? Do they all belong in museums? What good
does that one on your desk, shelf or locked up in the climate controlled
safe do to the greater good, or is that self-indulgence at its finest, or
just for profit? I suppose that if ownership is the case, then we are by
right able to do whatever we desire, as it then belongs to the owner to keep
or shape into any existence we see fit. If for profit, then what does it
matter what the new owner does?

Some questions that cross my mind are, "What is the purpose in this artwork
and the end result?". I haven't read the full artist statement on this
direct subject, but have visited her website, and her work is very
interesting, and consummate. So...Since this has developed into a long
discussion with many views, that expand across the continents, then the
artist has accomplished a great deal of awareness on the topic, and on the
meteorite community and public. That is very difficult artistic task, so
this is a success in many ways! Then the next question is does this artwork
make a change, or create awareness. My answer to this is yes! So, even
though I cannot bring myself to intentionally manipulate a meteorite to the
point it is in a completely new form, I have to think her conceptual ideas
are a success, and my meager attempts at education and awareness thru
artistic means needs to be revisited. And that too has created a
self-awareness in myself, and will create change. So, by right, I feel her
work has done what art is truly about, and that is to create change in some
form, be it reaction, action or conscience, be it to conserve or preserve
the natural state moving forward, success!

Best Regards,
Laura Atkins
Art is the highest task and proper metaphysical activity of this life. -
Nietzsche

-----Original Message-----
From: Meteorite-list [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On
Behalf Of Peter Davidson via Meteorite-list
Sent: Thursday, August 7, 2014 5:21 AM
To: 'info at moonmarsrocks.com'
Cc: Meteorite List (meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com)
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Meteorite" Sculpture by Katie Paterson

Daniel

No argument from me that we should leave the original entirely as it was
found, no matter what that object is.

Yet, we see and read about this happening all the time. Across the northern
part of England (and I mean England here and not the UK), the Romans built a
large structure (it is, or was, about 120km long and reached a height of
3.5m) which has become known as Hadrian's Wall. It purpose was to mark the
boundary of the Roman Empire at that time as well as act as a defensive
barrier to keep those nasty Scots out (it failed and we got through easily
enough!). Yet as soon as the Romans left, the local populace began to
plunder and remove its finely wrought stonework for use as building stone.
>From our viewpoint in 2014, we are rightly appalled that this wonderful work
has been plundered and destroyed to be remade into farm buildings and walls.
Yet, who are we to criticise these people for utilising such a wonderful,
ready-made supply of cut stone in order to enhance their lives (believe me
life in that part of Britain would have been very hard - it still is)? Also
are we right to criticise the Inuit for using metal taken from the Cape
York meteorite (and possibly others as well) to fashion into harpoons and
tools or indeed the ancient Egyptians for collecting Libyan desert glass to
create jewellery for the Pharaohs?

Cheers

Peter Davidson
Senior Curator of Minerals

National Museums Collection Centre
242 West Granton Road
Edinburgh
EH5 1JA
00 44 131 247 4283
p.davidson at nms.ac.uk


-----Original Message-----
From: Meteorite-list [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On
Behalf Of Daniel Noyes via Meteorite-list
Sent: 06 August 2014 17:33
To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Meteorite" Sculpture by Katie Paterson

Hi Graham, Peter and All,
 
I would agree that art can be a means to challenge existing concepts and
perceptions. I think the rub in this instance is the recasting of the
meteorite, nature's art, into its own image; a human generated meteorite
clone so to speak. To re-create it into something more removed from itself
would stretch the creative boundary.
If one were to melt down an original Remington bronze sculpture and recast
it as itself, does that really challenge artistic expression, and how is
that different that the cheap "after" versions that one can buy that are
imitations of the Remington original? Given the choice between an original
work of art and its imitation, I'll take the original every time. I'm not
saying there isn't some value in what Katie did, but I think the genuine
meteorite would be more worthy of a trip to the space station...
 
Best regards,
Daniel

Daniel Noyes
Genuine Moon & Mars Meteorite Rocks
info at moonmarsrocks.com
www.moonmarsrocks.com

 
 
-------- Original Message --------




Message: 6
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2014 20:40:22 +0100
From: Graham Ensor <graham.ensor at gmail.com>
To: Peter Davidson <P.Davidson at nms.ac.uk>
Cc: "Meteorite List \(meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com\)"
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Meteorite" Sculpture by Katie Paterson
Message-ID:
<CAJkn+kYZOjk+oQSTy--esrnQYeVJdKLLS0tzYWw+Nj+C9frSXg at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Hi Peter/alas an artist myself working on more unusual projects with the
Arts Council trying to find new ways of expressing ideas...trying to stretch
the boundaries and asking "what is art?"...etc. I find this an interesting
topic...I'm all for "art" doing what you say...but have a slight conflict
here, being a meteorite collector and using much of what I know and see in
meteoritics as inspiration for some of my own projects....there are so many
at the moment just making/doing "art" to shock...and I don't really think
that that is enough personally....and to be honest I'm not sure what she is
doing is really very original...many artists have destroyed and rebuilt
objects as themselves in the past in various ways....to me she is not making
people think about the wonder of the object, where it comes from etc...it's
more about herself....and her practice.

Now if she had prepared the meteorite in such a way to show off its wonder,
or even just exhibited it in a gallery as is...rather than in a
museum...then that would have asked far more questions about what art is, or
what the object means...the recasting is not so much about the object...it
is far more about the process and her own practice....I feel she has said
far less by recasting it....but I suppose that's what art is about....it's
more about the questions that a piece is asking than the answer.

Not sure what destroying something and remaking it in its own image and then
sending it back to whence it came (partly) is really saying.....only those
who are wise about meteorites actually understand what aspects of the object
she has destroyed....most of the general public/other artists etc. will see
the object as unchanged!

Graham

On Tue, Aug 5, 2014 at 3:35 PM, Peter Davidson via Meteorite-list
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com> wrote:
> Dear Lads and Lassies
>
> Thank you to those who replied to the e-mail I sent about the "meteorite"
sculpture by Katie Paterson which has been sent into space. To be honest I
didn't expect a positive response and that is exactly what I got. I attended
a talk by Katie last Saturday (2nd August) and I actually got to handle
several of the meteorites she has recast. An odd and slightly disconcerting
experience I thought. We got to chatting about possible future
collaborations but it remains to be seen what that might actually turn out
to mean.
>
> I have always believed that it one of the purposes of art (among many
other things) to challenge, shock and discomfort people and ideas by
presenting the familiar in a new and unfamiliar way - to make people rethink
their ideas and to challenge them to take stock of their old values. This
particular project does seem to have raised a few eyebrows and rattled a few
cages. I am mulling over the idea of asking Katie if I could present these
items at Ensisheim one year.
>
> Cheers
>
> Peter Davidson
> Senior Curator of Minerals
>
> National Museums Collection Centre
> 242 West Granton Road
> Edinburgh
> EH5 1JA
> 00 44 131 247 4283
> p.davidson at nms.ac.uk
>
>
> Discover the treasures of China's Ming dynasty at the National Museum of
Scotland.
> Ming: The Golden Empire, 27 June-19 October 2014, www.nms.ac.uk/ming
>
> National Museums Scotland, Scottish Charity, No. SC 011130 This
> communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the
addressee please inform the sender and delete the email from your system.
The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of the
author and do not necessarily reflect those of National Museums Scotland.
This message is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002. No liability is accepted for any harm that
may be caused to your systems or data by this message.
> ______________________________________________
>
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communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the
addressee please inform the sender and delete the email from your system.
The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of the
author and do not necessarily reflect those of National Museums Scotland.
This message is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of
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may be caused to your systems or data by this message.
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Received on Thu 07 Aug 2014 05:10:27 PM PDT