noneofthisisreal

Material as Metaphor, Anni Albers

[Image ID: Text reading, "How do we choose our specific material, our means of communication? 'Accidentally.' Something speaks to us, a sound, a touch, hardness or softness, it catches us and asks us to be formed. We are finding our language, and as we go along we learn to obey their rules and their limits. We have to obey, and adjust to those demands. Ideas flow from it to us and though we feel to be the creator we are involved in a dialogue with our medium. The more subtly we are tuned to our medium, the more inventive our actions will become. Not listening to it ends in failure. (Years ago, I once asked John Cage how he had started to find his way. He will not remember it. 'By chance' was the answer.) Students worry about choosing their way. I always tell, them, 'you can go anywhere from aywhere.' /end ID.]