Thursday, December 2, 2010

Week 3: Who puts the avant garde in avant garde?

Sarah’s Tristan Tzara Dadaist poem:

Pros Think To offence minutes and Tuesday up and four the ice, and comfortable after forth, it’s there I’ve easy. You explained back have to a (really and defence find) and I down or five seasons get find playing not the found it,” play in he. “I between feel out 30.”

Can I now call myself an avant garde poet? Is my “poem” above deep? Does it push boundaries and provoke thought? If I told you I was given the avant garde poetry award of the semester in my Narrative in a Digital Age class for this poem would you respect it? What if I told you my university presented me with an award for this piece? Would you appreciate it then? How about if I say that with this entry I won an international poetry contest? If someone you admire introduced this poem to you would you give it some credit then? If my poem was displayed as the main exhibit in a famous art gallery and you were told it provokes deep thought and speaks to the meaning of life itself, would this convince you that it is worthy of your respect and praise?
Where do we draw the line when it comes to the avant garde? How do we distinguish between the avant garde and just plain fooling around? What does it take for something to be recognized as the avant garde as opposed to rubbish?

I love the avant garde, I think it is absolutely fascinating and well worthy of appreciation. However, I do not understand, and possibly never will understand what makes something worthy of the avant garde label. I find that the minute you throw in the term “avant garde” people automatically “get it.” They pay attention to it, they wonder about it and they admire it. I think folks are more fascinated with the avant garde label and what society’s perception of someone who indulges in the avant garde is. People want to be accepted and do not want to feel left out or ridiculed for not “getting” the avant garde. The reality is that literally anything can be titled avant garde. Either you like it or you do not. I would like to propose that instead of following society’s suggestions about the avant garde, we all decide for ourselves which compositions we feel are worthy of being called avant garde and which are not. Go on – take this opportunity to find something you would like to grant the avant garde award to today!

-Over and out-

Signed: Non-Analog

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