"art in general" seems different from "art in general" some years ago. there is no right track anymore to recommend to younger artists and at the same time it is hard to remain true to yourself, without copying to much from that, that has been done before. i like the way robert irwin used to work in that sense that you make a work to try out certain things and once you have doen that you should not repeat yourself: that is a wqaste of time and very boring/ in that sense you keep your grey braincells very active and prevent nasty diseases to get hold of you at an early age. at the same time the proces is much more fun and much less a routine.
i have been working in that way for many years now and can recommend this way of owrking to everyone. i do not want to repeat myself doing things i have done before and i do my best to do so. but at the same time i feel i am doing just that only in a different way: i live still in the same house, with the same partner, eat the same food, play the same music and like the same kind of people. so more or less my work will be similar in 20 years time when i look back allthough i do continuously my utmost best to develop my ideas.
i do not know anymore wheather my work is art or not and i care less and less about that. i see often smiling faces meeting for example people who particpated in my projects more than 10 years ago, and that gives me a feeling that i did a decent job, even if the job was very experimental. it is not my cup of tea to paint nice pictures and concentrate on that for many years, refining my techniques more and more. for me the proces of painting is too boring and too much of the same but i guess that a painter might think the same of my work. i guess that "art in general" is in a similar position as "music in general". nowadays especially with i-tunes on the mac and the radio connections of that program, you can have any kind of music from anywhere at any moment and it is interesting to consider what might happen the next 50 years.
i feel that an audiende is essential for each artist, independent what his or her profession is. for me the audience is part of the project. i do not like to perform: i am not an entertainer and i do not want to repeat myself. My "audience" is the group that makes the project and works in close cooperation with each other and others to get the project realised.
(from an email to richard whittaker, march 2005)