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Check out the first 2:30 of this interview with Dave Stewart — one half of the Eurhythmics in the ’80s (whose biggest hit, the lyrics and the video, could be read as a commentary on this very dualism) and a prominent songwriter since — and his discussion of the line between art and commerce ... Participation! Stewart here discusses art and commerce as a linear progression — creativity begins as art and then later is transformed into commerce by certain needs. Do you agree with this model? What are some examples of different ways of conceptualizing this binary and its development? Can you think of objects/experiences that began as commerce and later became art?
3 Comments
Jessica Rumsey
11/12/2014 03:32:25 am
I agree with Stewart. Art and Commerce have a strange relationship. I really like what he said about art being about what you want and not compromising but commerce is all about compromising. This can cause a strange relationship. In the music industry artists start out making music that they want and that means something to them but then it turns into them making music that the public wants which turns into something else. A great example of this would be how all of the music artists now days started out as just for the music but turned into who can be the most outrageous and make the most headlines. Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, and Katy Perry are just a few of the big name currently. I feel like Miley Cyrus' new look and attitude could be her beginning with commerce to get attention and sell records but has turned into art because once she did all that for attention she can now focus on her music because she knows it will sell.
Alexis Boardrow
12/12/2014 02:00:33 pm
I agree that creativity often begins as art and is then transformed into commerce and I think music/musicians are probably one of the best examples of this. One person in particular I always think of when this topic arises is Taylor Swift. I was an early fan of hers and as a young teenager related to many of the songs she had written which contained really meaningful lyrics touching on some truly emotional and life-impacting experiences. Her first album will always be my favorite because of those songs. With time, I become more and more disappointed with the evolution of her music to things like "Shake It Off." It's a catchy song and admittedly I like it, but where's the substance? It's just a cookie cutter pop song that seems to have little to no meaningful content within the lyrics. I feel she succumbed to the needs and demands of commerce and as a result, her music style and content changed completely, not really for the better in my opinion. It is at this point when creativity loses it's artistic quality and becomes a slave to commerce. And Taylor Swift isn't the only example, it happens far too often. As far as commerce becoming art, I would say a great example of this is fashion. Clothing was initially sold out of societal necessity or for a specific use such as swimming or perhaps for a certain job. However, it has now been transformed into an art evidenced by fashion designers and the way they display their creativity in the form of clothing, not for any particular purpose, but rather because they are inspired and desire to design and create beautiful, unique clothes.
Eleanor Chen
12/16/2014 03:49:04 pm
I agree with Stewarts' model of art evolving into commerce. This model is very applicable to the music industry especially. We see this in musicians who people deem as "sellouts" for compromising their artistic choices and freedom in order to achieve financial success and fame. I have, however seen this is in musicians who began in the pop industry and once established, began creating music that stemmed from their own creativity. It was interesting how Stewart started to point out that musicians who stuck to what they wanted to do and refused to fall into society's defining model of a popular song actually turned out successful in many cases. This had me thinking about industries in which the relationship between commerce and art is flipped. An example of this is the architecture industry. Beginning as a functional sector of commerce or housing and construction, architecture has grown into a form of art in which architects display their creativity through their designs and projects. Leave a Reply. |
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