openmic

oopsydazey

april 4, 2003: the m2m girls hit saic's 1926 space for oops...i did it again. britney spears, postmodern muse? we're not that innocent! but we're always willing to gaze at someone else's navel.

Name: Darren
Occupation: Student
Britney or Justin--who's at fault? Justin.
What should Britney really be apologizing for? Her midriff.
Do you think pop culture is inherently insincere? No, I think it's inherently sincere. If it were insincere, I don't think people could follow through with it. Morally, there needs to be something other than finance motivating that.
Do you think pop songs are the philosophical texts of our time? No. Although I would say that, much like any text, pop songs can be used for other, higher purposes. You can take that text and transmute it toward your own ends.
Like a mix tape? Case in point!
Is there a line where contemporary art becomes too reliant on pop culture? Yes. There are all sorts of lines, but I think they should all be crossed at some point. Things should go too far, but when they do, you have to take a step back and realize that's where it went.
Oops, you did what again? I left my very secure home in Missouri to come here and be a part of this show.
Is there pleasure in repeated failure? Yes, there absolutely is. It's the realization that you're making a mistake, but consciously--and that's the key aspect--doing it again. There are certain rewards that come from having an excuse like "Oops!"
Does being an artist mean never having to say you're sorry? No. Apologies are a must.

Name: Chris
Occupation: Student
OK, Britney or Justin--who's at fault? No comment.
What should Britney really be apologizing for? The fact that she's not here.
Is pop culture inherently insincere? It's completely and totally sincere.
Are pop songs the philosophical texts of our time? Probably.
Is there a point where contemporary art becomes too reliant on pop culture? Yes.
What's the last thing you apologized for without really meaning it? Probably my artwork.
Is there pleasure in repeated failure? For the viewer.
Does being an artist mean never having to say you're sorry? I would say yes, but I've already kind of said no. But as I said, I lied.

Name: Lisa
Occupation: Lawyer
Britney or Justin--who's at fault? Britney.
What should Britney really be apologizing for?
Cheating on Justin.
Did she? You're a lawyer; you know you'd better say "allegedly." Yeah, well...OK. It's not officially confirmed!
Is pop culture inherently sincere or insincere? Sincere; it is a very honest representation of a portion of society.
Are pop songs the philosophical texts of our time? No.
What's the last thing you apologized for without really meaning it? (giggling)
Is there pleasure in repeated failure? Absolutely. There's comfort; it's familiar. We sometimes set ourselves up to fail because we understand that, and it's harder to risk what's necessary to be successful.
Does being an artist mean never having to say you're sorry? No. Artists don't have to apologize, but they should be accountable.

It's not true that life is one damn thing after another--it's one damned thing over and over.
--edna st. vincent millay, 1930

Name: Liz
Occupation: Artist
Britney or Justin--who's at fault? The thing is, I just found out four or five days ago, from the curator of this show, that they used to date. So I don't know who's really at fault, but I'm going to blame Britney. I like Justin Timberlake, which I probably shouldn't admit. And I think he's pretty sexy. I've never heard him talk, though--I've been told his speech is kind of "interesting," and that might ruin it for me.
What should Britney really be apologizing for? Well, I also found out that Justin and Britney supposedly didn't have sex--ha ha. So maybe she's apologizing for having sex with him when she's been claiming not to be. She's been lying to the public!
Is pop culture inherently sincere or insincere? I think that's what this show is all about, actually--people who feel sincere and insincere at the same time, who sit on the fence. I think pop culture contains both--and most people do contradict themselves. Everyone's stuck in pop culture whether they're involved in it or not. And you need it.
Are pop songs the philosophical texts of our time? Hmm. I want to say no, but I think it's true that they are. I'm unhappy with that. But they really do have influence; many of the lyrics are guidelines for a lot of people.
Is there a point where contemporary art can become too reliant on pop culture? I don't know about too reliant, but in my mind, as artists in general, we have a social responsibility to be another voice, reflecting what we think about society. Pop culture is an important place to look into to make art. It gives people a different perspective on something they don't think about in the first place.
What's the last thing you apologized for without really meaning it? Luckily the tape recorder can't see my face! I'm sure I sin just as much as the next person, but I don't know if I've really been apologizing for anything lately. Maybe for getting so involved in my own world, and in art, that I neglect the people I love. I don't necessarily apologize for it, but in my head I'm aware that it happens.
Is there pleasure in repeated failure? Well, once you succeed after those repeated failures, yes. But not during--that leads to frustration.
Does being an artist mean never having to say you're sorry? I think artists always get the feeling that they might be sorry later--like, "Omigod, I can't believe I made that, and showed it!" In a way, you're apologizing to yourself, and hoping people don't remember. Though, often, that's the work they do remember. I sometimes see my work on other people's walls and think, "Oh no; I can't believe you still have that up! Take that down and let me give you something else!"

Name: Ken
Occupation: Scientist
So, Britney or Justin--who's at fault? Justin, of course.
What should Britney really be apologizing for? For being too out there.
Is pop culture inherently sincere or insincere? Insincere. It reflects the whims of group thought, and you can see that in the kind of art that comes out of it, which tends to be fast, relatively obvious, and somewhat superficial.
Are pop songs the philosophical texts of our time? I don't think so.
Is there a point where contemporary art becomes too reliant on pop culture? I think artists who rely on pop culture don't have much to say. It becomes just a style, but more than that, it's a group style, so you go to a show and people are all thinking the same way. To me, what makes art "art" is the personal expression of an individual.
Oops, you did what again? I don't think of it that way. If I do something wrong, it's a learning experience.
Spoken like a scientist! Right: we just move on!
Is there pleasure in repeated failure? Oh, no.
Then why do people keep making the same mistakes over and over? They have the wrong attitude.
Does being an artist mean never having to say you're sorry? When you talk to visual artists, they see themselves as evolving all the time, which is one of the really fascinating things about them--and about young artists especially, because they're going places. They're not saying, "I'm sorry." They're saying, "That's where I was, here's where I am today, I don't know where I'll be tomorrow." And that's interesting.

Name: Britton
Occupation: Student
Britney or Justin--who's at fault? Justin. He's such a rat-bastard pretty boy.
What should Britney really be apologizing for? That schoolgirl outfit.
Is pop culture inherently sincere or insincere? It's very sincere. Probably due to the sincerity of those making it, who think they really know what they're doing. It's brazen, encompassing, and inescapable--and you gotta live with it.
Do you think pop songs are the philosophical texts of our time? For those who look for that, yes. But for others, it's just another mind-numbing experience.
Is there a point where contemporary art becomes too reliant on pop culture? I think both contemporary art and pop culture portray a kind of slickness. There's no depth whatsoever; it's a shallow force field. There's no going inside.
So pop culture is now being appropriated more as a style, rather than serving as a conceptual basis for art. Right. And where do we go after pop culture? That's the interesting question. Contemporary art is tired of pop culture. If you want to talk about post-postmodernism, that's beyond pop, and beyond pop means mnemonics, which is my favorite word. I think contemporary art is going to be considering how we remember.
Oops, you did what again? Oops, I graduated--again!
Is there pleasure in repeated failure? Definitely. Well, on second thought, no.
Does being an artist mean never having to say you're sorry? Absolutely. I think artists take the moniker as meaning they're the ultimate freelancers, and what they want to do is what they want to do. It's a beautiful thing, but there are a lot of people out there who screech at every word or brushstroke. We're waiting for them to do something!