"The point is, that every piece of art changes your whole perception of the rest of the world for the rest of your life. And it's not a joke! And if it doesn't, then it's not art, it's a commodity."
- Lawrence Weiner responding to a question from Liam Gillick in "Between Artists"
pg. 20
This quote confuses me a bit, because I have always found commodities to be a form of artwork themselves, however more functional and utilitarian they appear to be. Their purpose is slightly different, but they are essentially trying to do the same thing as Weiner’s explanation of art: changing perception of the world, although in commodities’ case, changing perception in order to promote or advertise. Commodities must appeal to the masses in order to be successful and well-liked, just as artwork must appeal to the senses in order to produce the best possible viewing experience (whether it evokes positive or negative feelings). A great amount of problem-solving and design work goes into the making of commodities, so isn't a commodity definitively artful as well?
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