Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Artists don't look at problems, they look at intentions.

A film shoot is an environment which demands problem solvers working in unison with artists.  Ideally, but rarely, you find artists that do both.  Problem solvers find new ways to make something work. What makes that problem solver an artist is their ability to serve the original intention rather than simply removing the problem with their solution.

Let me give an example. An artist decides to use a worn out child's shoe with a hole in it to conjure images of poverty and neglect in the imagination of the viewer. What if the artist and his team had no way to put that hole into the shoe? One problem solver might suggest we use an old gumboot from the back of his truck that conveniently has a hole in it.  This of course solves the problem of the hole but does nothing to serve the intention. This object stimulates the imagination toward images of a rugged, old farmer rather than an impoverished child.  

The 'artist' problem solver does not look at the problem, they look at the intention. The artist would not focus on how to make the hole or find another object with a hole rather they hunt for ways to communicate the intention with the resource they already have. Perhaps we remove a shoe lace from one of the tattered old shoes? How does this image read when one shoe has a lace and the other does not? does it serve the intention? 

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