Daisy, 9/13/09

We discussed in class the idea of avant-garde, which is pushing the boundaries, going against what is considered normal. I didn’t fully understand what Lyotard meant by liquidating “the heritage of the avant-garde” (40). After discussing it is class and re-reading the article I feel like I understand it a little better. Our culture has killed the avant-garde with realism. Once someone does something unusual in our culture it is turned into a fad and everyone follows. We are not surprised by anything in our culture. I think that we have learned to except everything and look for something new to entertain us, something that will shock us. But I’m not sure if we would be shocked. I mean if aliens landed on earth I wouldn’t be shocked. There have been many movies, documentaries, and merchandise sold that has to do with aliens you would almost think that they really did happen. Lyotard might say that if aliens did land on earth they would not evoke reality but nostalgia (40).
Another idea came to me when I was flipping through Vogue. I love looking at the artistic photographs, but so many times I think I would never wear that. Designers must come up with a new creative idea to show their line. Usually they pair their designs, often times mismatched, with outrageous hairstyles, make-up applications, and poses you would never see off the runway. While the photos grab our attention, they aren’t presenting anything original, but everything we expect to see. Thinking about what we talked about in class how no one wants to see avant-garde unless it is something the masses want to see. The designers play on the same outrageous themes, but only to a certain extent, because designer who questions the rules too much will have no “guarantee of an audience” (41). Realism has placed restrictions on us as to what to accept.