Re: Judges' comments

[P3D Larry Berlin <lberlin@xxxxxxxxx>]

>Don Chaps writes:
>One of the 
>continuing questions we'd talk about is "What is the difference between 
>an art and a craft?". I proposed that there was a difference between Art 
>and Craft.
......
>I'll 
>point in the direction of MY answer to this question. Art can change a 
>person's life.
........
> I love 
>food, but have never met anyone who has had their life changed by a well 
>formed puff pastry. Consider the music versus the pastry Napolean has 
>inspired. Which has stirred people and changed their lives? 
..........

While I can agree there is a difference between art and craft, I will point
out that many of the results of a craft are in fact art. While art can
change a person's life, that cannot be a defining guideline. Lots of art
exists that has never had an opportunity to change my life, yet I have
encountered that which has changed my life. What changes my life doesn't
define what changes or affects another's life in an automatic sense, nor is
a change in someone's life an indication that art has been encountered.

If you insist that food can only be a craft, then you have been food
impaired all along and are not qualified to examine the issue as it relates
to food. I have encountered many examples of food that is exemplary art.
Just because you can't define food as art doesn't affect whether or not such
a thing exists. It's entirely possible in the human condition to walk right
past art, or eat it, and not recognize it unless one is paying attention in
the right way. That *right* way is a subjective and personal thing despite
the fact that often a work of art is appreciated as such by more than one
person.

The craft of 3D photography can and does yield works of art. Even though
many of them may not change the life of either the photographer or the
audience on every occasion. The relatively new combination of cameras and
computers along with the craft of working in stereo 3D will yield works of
art never dreamed of before. Though the craft may be driven by a dream, not
all dreams yield up art as the result. Often in our shortsightedness we
throw out that which is art and keep something that has some other quality
that holds our attention during the decision making process.

The ultimate purpose of *judging* is not to determine that which is
definitely better than something else, but to explore a different set of
veiwpoints relating to craftworks other than that of the
artist/photographer. Feedback is a useful part of any craft, yet judging and
competition is not the only source of feedback nor is it always the best
feedback. 

Larry Berlin

Email: lberlin@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.sonic.net/~lberlin/


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