Buried Treasure...Adding Our Voices To Art History!

HUGO'S SOUND POEM - ATC

There is nothing as intriguing as going on a treasure hunt! The anticipation of what you might find is palatable. And what a treat when you finally make your discovery!

Below you will find my post as part of  Seth Apters's Buried Treasure project. I encourage you to visit his Blog, The Altered Page, to view Seth's and other Bloggers posts from the past. I enjoyed visiting each link. It was great to revisit posts and terrific finding new Blogs I can follow in the future.

I chose my Saturday, 11 October 2014 post because Art History is truly a treasure hunt for me. When I lack inspiration, I look to the past for comforting encouragement and a way to reconnect with my Muse. 

So...are you willing to join the hunt? After all, aren't we all adding our voices to the joyful chorus of Art History?

Saturday 11 October 2014 - Finding My Way Through XYZ...

A call for art from The Carlisle Arts Learning Center in Carlisle Pennsylvania intrigued me. "XYZ" was the unconventional theme for an Artist Trading Card exhibit sponsored by the Gallery.
 
XYZ..XYZ... The letters rolled around my mind...What do those final three letters of the alphabet mean to me?
 
I admit, I have been struggling lately. Feeling uninspired,  I know my Muse hasn't abandoned me, at least not completely, but we just don't seem to be connecting. Projects started are in my studio, half completed, if they had the good fortune to even get that far.
 
And it saddens me. I miss the rush, the passionate excitement of new ideas, of experiments successful...and perhaps not quite so. I miss the joy of creating. But how can I get on track and open the lines of communication fully with my Muse?
 
Waiting for an appointment I pulled a small book on Dada from my handbag. The book fell open to a page with a photo of Hugo Ball dressed in costume and ready to recite a poem. A Sound Poem. My Muse reaching out? Synchronicity? It was perfect. I could feel the spark of excitement starting again.
 
Dadaism as an art movement was founded in Zürich Switzerland on February 5, 1916. Artists are poets rejected the conventional methods of Art and started something new. The Cabaret Voltaire hosted performance art and sound poetry. Hugo Ball wanted to return to "the most intimate alchemy of the word, and even to go beyond it in order to preserve for poetry its most sacred domain".
 
XYZ...over and over...with a rhythm going to the source not only of the poem I could hear, but the uninspired place in my soul.
 
The substrate for the ATC is illustration board. I photocopied the photo of Hugo in his shaman's hat and Cubist costume. Finding the letters X,Y, and Z seemed to just fall into place, gleaned from various magazines. I finished with metallic acrylic paint sponged on to the card. At the end of the exhibit the cards will be traded.
 
Although I'm still finding my way through, returning to Art History certainly has started opening up the lines of communication for me. How do you rekindle your relationship with your Muse?