When I heard about Cloaca, AKA "the Sh!t machine", I thought they must be sh!tting me, but it's real. This is a machine where you put food in one end and get feces out the other. It makes me wonder if this is art when it's something that any of us could do without thinking too much about it.
Sometimes when people are answering "What is Art?" they reveal a belief that art should be hard to do -- that they have more respect for artists who put a lot of time and energy into developing their skill. In this sense, Cloaca clearly fits the bill.
Again, when people are answering "What is Art?" they will talk about originality-- that something is better if it is totally new and unforeseen. Again Cloaca meets the definition-- even if it's the answer to a question nobody was asking, Cloaca is indeed one of a kind.
The first and most obvious question I asked is WHY would you make such a thing? It made me think of all the people starving in the world-- what would they say if they knew that we had a machine whose sole purpose is to digest and sh!t out perfectly good food for the enjoyment of rich people. And I think it's good that it takes my mind to that place.
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AuthorI am a high school Digital Design teacher who wants my students to start wrestling with the question: "What is Art?" Archives
January 2009
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