The spears were arranged in a way that felt artistic to me. I have thought about it since: both about the fact that when we see armor and weapons in an art museum we are somewhat removed from the reality of their uses (context is everything, right?) and about the fact that many everyday tools could be thought of as artistic, if we step away from their mundane ubiquity: forks for instance or pens. We add art or style to some items of daily necessity: shoes, for example. Or cell phones.
And since I'm a writing teacher, I think about how writing can be very dreary--almost punishment--for some students and a needed outlet of expression, even a joy, for others. Some of that attitude has to come from us, from the teachers, right? So, do I make spears into art? Do I make pencils fun? It's a question to consider.
Love the pic and how cool to think about these objects out of context as works of art. And I totally agree with you about a teacher's attitude about writing and how it impacts a student's feelings about themselves as writers. Very cool. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat connection in your thinking. I like the questions! My daughter is a program director at an art museum. I think I'll ask her about your theory & whether they discuss objects in this light. Pencils can mean many things to people (students) too. I have brought in many & we've written about the character of them, what seems to be just the right fit, etc. And there's a clever poem about writing called "Inside A Pencil" found at http://www.journaltherapy.com/poem/archive/2003/poem0308.htm
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