Weekly Twitter Round Up

A Duchamp inspired interactive "game"-- see tweet below for more details.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all my friends and colleagues south of the border! I am actually enjoying (shock) a football game right now--the Canadian Grey Cup featuring our own B.C. Lions-- a rare moment that I partake in this most American pastime. Enjoy some of my assembled favourites to enjoy during half-time, or while taking a break from those papers. Go Lions Go!

Students cry foul at UC-Davis

A scary new study confirms the motivations behind North Americans' willful ignorance

A dozen Surrealist films by Joseph Cornell, made between 1930 and 1960: 

An unflinching look at Steve Jobs, king of the geeks. Tonight on #passeye

Damian Moppett’s one-man history of art

Today's #TED: Natalie Warne on how youth can make an extraordinary impact: #TEDx

Now that's post-Duchamp!

Status Anxiety: Redefining "Success" and its Many Representations

Originally published in 2004, many of the ideas contained in the book are more relevant and easy to identify since the global economic downturn.

Having spent this term discussing and thinking about revolution and art in a dedicated seminar to the topic, it has been important to move beyond the more typically discussed political frameworks of radical change and extend the conversation to the world of social revolution. Of course the two often operate hand in hand-- and perhaps one of the most accessible and interesting philosophers working on the topic today is Alain de Botton. Recently, I assigned portions of his public documentary series Status Anxiety to two of my classes—both of which cover the chronological period associated with the rise of modernism from the late  nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. Based on de Botton’s book of the same name, Status Anxiety probes that most modern and equally uncomfortable question of how one’s place in society is ranked and evaluated by others. In turn, the book and documentary series reveals how the historical context for status can be located in the rise of modern secular societies and the alienating effects of global capital expansion. Modern art has an important role to play in de Botton’s argument since it is within the historical avant-garde and bohemian cultures, which helped profoundly shape modernism in the early part of the twentieth century, that we find evidence and representation of the challenge to mainstream conceptions of status, authority, and institutions of power. See the introductory clip to the documentary embedded here below (the whole documentary can be found here):

Alain de Botton is a self-described "public philosopher" and has written many books probing the question of our everyday lives and concerns.

Interestingly enough, de Botton created this series prior to the current economic crisis, and in this sense his ideas are far more relevant to how many ordinary people are questioning ideas of status today. More recently, de Botton sat down for an in-depth interview to reflect on how his ideas have evolved since he first wrote Status Anxiety, providing targeted commentary concerning the kind of social revolution that many see unfolding around the world today—in expected places like the Middle East, but also in unexpected places like the United States and Canada. His comments are especially intriguing with respect to how people are beginning to redefine how success is measured and represented since the first signs of the crisis.

At the same time, de Botton links some of the problems within today’s frame of mind with what he sees lacking in the contemporary art world, namely an art of tragedy along the lines of the ancient Greeks. De Botton’s argument is that we are less likely to see artists today engaging with themes of inevitable loss and/or unexplained or irrational misfortune since it flies in the face of a deeply held societal belief in the West that everyone has an equal chance at success based on their own merits and hard work. In other words, one of the unspoken assumptions of modern life and status stretching back over 200 years is that our failures are somehow our own fault—period—without consideration for forces well beyond our control (such as the incomprehensible economic structure we currently live in). No doubt de Botton‘s ideas and theories concerning status and success reveal deep stakes in the way social revolutions, and the art that accompanies them, will take shape in the future.  And for many of the students I work with today who worry about their own success in the future, Status Anxiety also offers some measure of comfort and critical reflection.

Weekly Twitter Round Up

Banksy delivers an inspired art project to Occupy London-- see tweet below.

Just returned from D.C. and sorting through the Monday morning avalanche of email. The trip was fantastic and well worth the ridiculous flight schedule I was assigned (two transfers both ways, one of which was delayed and landed me in Phoenix Arizona of all places for an extra night!). While I catch up, I wanted to pass along some of my favourite tweets of the week. I also wanted to wish a Happy American Thanksgiving to my friends south of the border—I am indeed jealous for the extra days off this late in the semester!

Who knew the last 5 min. of a writing session were so important? Check out this article that explains why

Why they Buy - and Why They Will Buy From You 

Adbusters editorial in Washington Post on the future of #OCCUPYWALLSTREET:  #OWS #OCCUPY

Art to download is little more than dead-eyed commercialism 

A grab bag of great avant-garde 20th century discs for you to snag thru the back door [MP3]

20 Artworks Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street Movement

Idea! Book deal. Wine. Toast. Type. Wine. Drunk dial @AlecBaldwinNap. Pulitzer dream. Reread. Stare. Delete all. Refund advance. Tweet.

Weekly Twitter Round Up

Twitter pictures streamed in this weekend from MOCA's Annual Gala art directed by Marina Abramovic. Controversy circulated all week around the event (see Tweet below)

Now that the craziness of midterm marking is winding down and my short bout with the flu is subsiding, I am finding some time to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather we have been having here in Vancouver. Nothing like a weekend spent catching up with loved ones and indulging in the luxury of reading the weekend papers cover to cover to help recharge the batteries! I am also looking forward to another conference trip this week- this time to Washington D.C. to attend and give a paper at the ASEEES (Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies). I hope to get a visit to the National Gallery and maybe stroll the Corcoran Gallery of Art while there. Here are some favourite tweets to check out-- have a great week!

Read the Full Text of Yvonne Rainer’s Letter Denouncing Marina Abramovic’s LA MoCA Gala

Great panel discussion on the future of cinema as it relates to technology and exhibition via@VIFFest

The world's most expensive photographs - in pictures

The myth of the tech-savvy student

Call for Writers | The New Culture Wars: What’s at Stake? | Art21

In case you missed it: Who occupied @museummodernart better? Diego Rivera or #occupymuseums? #ows

How YOU can protect street art history 

Focus on Research: HackCollege and Other Blogs That Help You Work Smarter, Not Harder

Over the course of an average week, I meet with at least one or two students who are struggling with time management and organizing a mounting pile of assignments. This is not an uncommon scenario, especially as many students feel overwhelmed with the task of figuring out for themselves how to accomplish many small tasks with firm deadlines. Since beginning this blog, I have made it a point to gather as many resources as possible to help students bring some direction and focus to the process of preparing for exams, writing papers, and learning how to navigate the differences between lecture and seminar classes. Still, I have also found that it is sometimes best to get this information directly from other students working their way through the challenges of university. Enter the world of student blogs.

HackCollege provides daily doses of tips and useful info for university students written by university students.

Perhaps the most useful, relevant, well-written (and humorous) blog I refer students to is HackCollege. Their motto "Work Smarter, Not Harder" is one of my favourite all time mantras and the student-run site is fully devoted to revealing "insider" tips and tricks to help get fellow students through the academic process. If you understand the original meaning of the term "hacker"-- an individual who is a clever and creative programmer and part of a subculture of individuals looking to best the system, you start to see the guiding ethos of a blog like this. Some recent posts such as "You Suck at Studying: 3 Lessons from a College Hacker," "Autopilot Your Meals for Cheap,"and "How to Find a Job in a Down Economy" give you a taste of what the site offers in terms of useful and pragmatic advice. Hack College also has their own YouTube channel and can be followed via their Facebook page or on Twitter.

Other similar and useful student-created blogs worth checking out include:

StudyHacks: originally launched by an MIT graduate student in 2007, the blog features useful content about becoming a successful and well-balanced (read happy) university student.

Studenthacks.org: sporadically updated, but retains archived content full of useful tips and strategies for students.

PhinisheD.org: primarily for graduate students writing theses but also very useful information, resources, and forums for all levels of university study. Don't let the retro-formatting of the site fool you-- this site literally saved me during my dissertation writing years!-- as it continues to help those braving the final years of grad school.

A motto for life, not just academia.

No doubt there is something refreshing and more authentic about  learning of the reality of academia from your own peers. This includes professors by the way-- I am an avid follower of ProfHacker, the Chronicle of Education's informative and popular blog devoted to disseminating tips about teaching and career management, featuring very candid posts from those working within academia about the trials and challenges of working within the university system (for any of you contemplating a career in grad school and beyond, I highly recommend a peak at this site from time to time!). Just remember, the best tips are usually the ones that help bring balance, simplicity, and more focus to your life. Work smarter, not harder.