From insignificance to significance

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Author
Cazeaux, Clive
Date
2020-02-01Acceptance date
2019-01-22
Type
Book chapter
Publisher
Bloomsbury
Embargoed until
2100-01-01
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Through a series of artworks, the name ‘Martin Creed’ leads us to a position where the concept of what counts as an object of attention cannot be taken for granted. We find ourselves in a context where any minute, ordinarily overlooked detail can be elevated and transformed into an object for close, careful consideration. This chapter is a demonstration of how philosophy can come to terms with the fine-grained questioning and highly attentive looking one is invited to adopt when one perceives over time a sheet of A4 paper screwed into a ball, or spends time in a room in which the lights are going on and off. A particular ‘Martin Creed’ is identified, and the reason for the choice is shown to be a result of the transition from insignificance to significance that occurs in the artist’s work. The importance of the transition for a philosophical interpretation of selected artworks, and for debate on the aesthetics of conceptual art, is also established.
Citation
Cazeaux, C. (2020) Switching from insignificance to significance. In Dal Sasso, D. and Schellekens, E. (eds), Aesthetics, Philosophy and Martin Creed. London: Bloomsbury.
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- Artistic Research [180]