CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
:r
\(
An abstract submitted in partial satisfaction of the
requirements.for the degree of Master of Arts in
Art
by
Jan Shearin fiiiller
/
January, 1976
The abstract of Jan Shearin Miller is approved:
California State University, Northridge
January, 1976
ii
ABSTRACT
FUCEKUY
by
Jan Shearin Miller
Master of Arts in Art
January, 1976
The work deals with a few different ideas and phenomena.
Among them are ambiguity, illusion, anti-illusion,
the future, present, past, people (their effects, invisible
and otherwise), comfort, discomfort, uncertainty, unexpectancy, states of mind, natural phenomena (magnetism, gravity,
light), chaos, life, art/non-art, and questions.
The pieces have no titles.
I wanted to leave them open
and uncertain.
The work involves no one style.
Someone said they saw
art as an open spo.t in society--a free spot where anything
could happen--I believe this.
No statements.
The invisible forces manifested in the pieces with
magnets (plates 1 & 2) are the main interests of those
l
2
works.
The magical qualities of the forces and their
characteristics of either holding things together or pulling them apart are part of it, however, I also see them as
an analogy of the forces people or things exert on one another.
The television (plate 3) is a continuation of this
phenomenon.
The way one effects the T.V. by one's position
to it expresses this.
I taped off two areas and by stand-
ing in one of these areas or the other one could create
either a clear picture on the television screen or a distorted one.
I also see the T.V. work on other levels.
One is that
it acts as a very strong symbol, perhaps for a generation
or perhaps for a segment of America.
Another level is its
expression of the idea of something happening miles away
being simultaneously viewed somewhere else.
In other words,
when viewed this way it expresses the idea of bringing an
action or something happening outside, to view inside.
The light box (plate 5) functions as a visual experience.
The piece was built to be walked into.
Inside it
is completely dark except for 1/16 inch holes drilled two
inches apart that run diagonally across all four walls.
viewer could receive a number of experiences once inside.
They range from total perception loss and imbalance to a
serene and spacious feeling.
A
3
My original intent for the sheet metal and tar paper
piece (plate 6) was purely aesthetic.
However, as the
piece evolved, the idea of cancelling-out came to mind,
thus the tar paper covering brings up the question of what
material the piece is made of.
In this way, the piece
becomes as much a material statement as it is an aesthetic
one.
Another aspect of the piece is its ability to be
rearranged.
Rather than a fixed position, the modules can
be infinitely rearranged.
After doing the piece I became
bored with it; this way I can encourage the audience to
create their own work, thus expanding the possibilities of
the piece.
Although the sheet metal and Petrabond piece (plate 7)
deals with illusion, as does the tar paper and sheet metal
piece, they are basically opposed to each other.
The metal
and Petrabond is very straightforward about its material-this is basically the intent of the piece.
My intention for the rock and Petrabond piece (plate 8)
is the presentation of a question.
sion where the rock once rested.
One can see the impresPrimarily, I am interest-
ed in why, or how, the rock was moved.
Following this
train-of-thought, it is my intention to go from this particular question to the idea of questions in general.
The
piece is basically an enigma that asks questions, rather
than answers them.
Due to the impermanence of the Petrabond piece and the
functional change of the screw and screwdriver (plate 1)
and the T.V., these pieces also make a statement about art
itself.
The fact that these pieces, once outside the gal-
lery or art context and returned to their original context,
become non-art again, perhaps brings up the question of
"what is art?" •
The last piece (plates 9 & 10) is personal.
it was done for myself rather than for others.
Perhaps
The elements
are just some things I had lying around.
One thing, if any, that holds the pieces together,
besides a number of the pieces that deal with the "art/nonart gap", is that they all deal with life in one way or
another, either in the questions it asks or in the confusion
it presents.
The work does not deal with psychological
theory, but, rather simple day-to-day occurences, more on
the level of taken-for-granted situations or things.
The work is essentially reactionary in the sense that
I have drawn from art history and other sources of history.
According to Daniel Buren, this is the reason that art can
never truly be revolutionary.
However, I have done my part
by reinforcing art history, by. bringing
~;he
ideas of dead ·
artists alive, and reinforcing the ideas of other living
artists working in the same concerns.
iflhether one can be
truly original and totally break away from art history,
5
only the future will tell.
The question of total original-
ity is shaky anyway, with Joseph Kosuth and Daniel Buren,
among others, stating that it is an improbability, and
Joseph Beuys, on the other hand, contradicting them.
The
importance of artists of the past, however, rests in what
they brought to art, rather than what they took from it.
Originality therefore being important, I hope that some, if
any, shows in the work.
Rather than trap myself, I contradict myself.
The
opposing styles are contradictions; the salable and nonsalable work is a contradiction.
I would rather generalize
than specialize, rather expand than limit.
I will change my mind.
In the future
(Plate 1)
Screwdriver (oagnetized) and screw
12"
(Plate 2)
Sand, magnets, and compass
2'
X
3'
(Plate 3)
(Plate 4}
(Plate 5)
Light Box
(outside view)
8'
X gt X
8'
X
8'
l
I
I
I
I
(Plate 6)
Welded sheet metal and tar paper
36"
X
II
24"
"
12"
"
6"
II
X
6"
II
X
6"
"
(Plate 7)
Welded sheet metal and petra bond
4'
X
4'
X
6"
~·--·----.--
..
-~-----
..
--.--~----~-------~-~-----~------~·-···-·---
----···--·~·-·-·--··----~-·,
I
(Plate 8)
Petra bond and rock
4"
X
4'
X
1'
(?late 9)
Plywood~
sheet metal, chair, and
2'
X
3'
X
4+•
b~boo
(Plate 10)
See plate 9