Dear tiempapu-ga;
I?ve studied your question and given it a great deal of thought and
research. I?m going to go ahead and answer it for you because I
believe I have gotten a fairly good idea of how your art would be
perceived.
With regard to the mental picture you painted in part ?A? of your
question, it stands to reason that if ten figures are placed under ten
yarmulkes so as to appear to the observer that they are ?wearing? the
caps (still fitting snuggly on the skull, as you put it), then,
assuming the visual intent is successful, to that observer the men are
indeed wearing them. Technically speaking however, if ten yarmulkes
are suspended by strings, and the ten figures are somehow attached to
the caps and therefore suspended from them, they are, in reality,
?hanging? from the caps. Whether they are ?wearing? them or not will
be a matter of perception and will depend entirely upon how well you
pull off the illusion. If done effectively I would guess that most
people seeing such a piece of art would reasonably assume that the
figures were wearing the caps as the artist who created the piece
intended.
As for part ?B? of your question, yours is not the first idea of using
the yarmulke as an artistic medium. The Pennsylvania Museum of Jewish
Art for example, recently displayed an exhibit created by New
York-based artist Cary Leibowitz (who is Jewish) who used yarmulkes in
a variety of ways, some of which were even torn or placed in various
patterns on a wall to symbolize his message. When it was suggested to
Michael Singer, the curator of the museum that such an exhibit might
be seen as disrespectful in some ways, he said this:
?I think that's a good point and that's something that I haven't
thought of. But I think that the sense of irreverence in the show is
strong enough that in this particular context most of the people who
are going to take a look at the yarmulke are not going to think it is
blasphemous. It's hard to get inside someone else's head, but perhaps
for an Orthodox person it would be offensive.?
INLIQUID REVIEWS
http://www.inliquid.com/thought/review/0304zarrosinger.shtml
Another example would be the recent marketing of novelty yarmulkes
that seem to have gotten greater attention because of Senator Joseph
Lieberman?s now failed campaign for the presidency.
MAZELTOPS
http://www.mazeltops.com/white.jpg
Of course, a variety of entertaining imprinted kippot like these have
been around for a long time:
MAZLETOPS
http://www.mazeltops.com/imprinted.htm
Asked about the potential irreverence of such a thing, Rabbi Robert S.
Goldstein of Temple Emanuel, in Andover, Maryland said:
"I think this is just a fun thing,"?"It's trendy and shows that
culture is playing a role in our religious life."
Of the yarmulke as a religious symbol, the Rabbi went on to say:
"The yarmulke is not a sacred object in and of itself,"??What's
important is that the head is covered. You could wear a baseball cap,
and it would be no more or less holy.?
State Rep. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, who is Jewish, said he is not
offended by the yarmulke idea, but as a public servant it "lacks good
taste and good dignity.". He made his atatment based on the fact that
he is ?a big believer in separating church and state" and not because
such a think is disrespectful.
EAGLE TRIBUNE
?Lieberman yarmulke 'fun,' 'not good style?
http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/20000923/FP_002.htm
It seems then that an offense would be projected based more upon the
way in which your art was displayed and not so much because of what it
is. If the ?ten men? hanging projects something disrespectful about
Jewish men or the Jewish faith, or if, in an attempt at humor the men
appeared comical or project a visual picture that belittles the
character of the Jewish faith (intentional or not) then certainly some
people will consider the art impious and will be offended. On the
other hand, if the art is tastefully done, taking into account the
sensitive nature of the objects and the temperament of today?s society
toward anti-Semitism, then it is entirely possible I suppose to
successfully create a work of art that achieves what you are hoping to
achieve without offending many who might otherwise be offended. In the
end, I suspect that some people will not appreciate your art not
matter what you do (or don?t do), perhaps because they are conditioned
to take offense or because their perception or interpretation of your
art is not consistent with yours.
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any
questions about my research please post a clarification request prior
to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final
comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near
future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
INLIQUID REVIEWS
http://www.inliquid.com/thought/review/0304zarrosinger.shtml
MAZELTOPS
http://www.mazeltops.com/
EAGLE TRIBUNE
?Lieberman yarmulke 'fun,' 'not good style?
http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/20000923/FP_002.htm
Defined above
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINES USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
Yarmulke, art, novelty, display, history, reverence, exhibit |
