Marc Fischer: Temporary Services

Marc Fischer's discussion of his work with the group Temporary Services on Thursday night was of interest to me because, as a basically object-oriented ceramic sculptor, I often hear a perspective on art practice which is very different from, or entirely contradictory to, the view that Marc proposed. I am always extremely interested in hearing about disparate ways of progressing one's career as an artist, and I am happy to learn about a group of people who are dedicated to a non-traditional approach, even if I disagree with some of their beliefs, because I believe the more traditional art world can only benefit from the presence of this element in the dialogue.

One of the things I am most interested in about what Marc covered is the possibility of working without money and outside of the confines of a single, particular medium. I like the kind of empowerment he gives in demonstrating that if you have an idea and a few resourceful people you can find a way to do what you want, even if no one wants to buy, publish, fund, endorse, or even permit, the work you want to do. I see problems with, but am not fundamentally opposed to, the art world of galleries, grants, and residencies, and I do not think I will ever stop being a physical maker of art objects. Nevertheless, I frequently get just as excited about a seemingly (but not actually) random non-ceramic side project that I have an idea for and want to do simply for the gratification of doing it. It is easy to think of these ideas as impractical distractions from "real studio work", but when you are thinking of the personal, collaborative, and social value of projects free from a consideration of a patron's monetary valuation, there is a great feeling of liberation. Marc's discussion of his projects like Half Letter Press and the micro-grants associated with Art Work were inspiring because they are self-funded, self-motivated and allow complete creative flexibility (other than ideas that are intrinsically expensive).

Although I haven't discussed my views on each of the different Temporary Services projects Marc talked about, my primary response is to the elements of his presentation that I have focused on above. I am glad that we were assigned to attend this talk because I would not have gone otherwise, and also because I think being able to reference the work of Temporary Services will be valuable in our class discussions and those within our respective departments.

Shae