Saturday, October 10, 2015

Brian Eno's BBC Radio 6 Music John Peel Lecture 2015

This afternoon I listened to Brian Eno's BBC Radio 6 Music John Peel Lecture. The questions posed by Eno are whether or not art is to be considered a luxury, or beyond that even. He also questions if there will ever be a possibility of creating a situation in which the arts "flourish."

I was fascinated by the talk, and somewhat emotionally invested in what Eno had to say about art and its place within community, society and beyond. Something I found profound was in the beginning of the lecture, when Eno discusses the education secretary's proclamation that "arts and humanities don't offer such good job prospects as the STEM subjects" and therefore it wasn't a good idea for students to endeavour into the subjects. This was interesting to me in that perhaps more specifically design, of course an elements of the arts, is responsible for our ability to communicate - through type. Without type, where would we be in the world? To what point would we have progressed without such imperative means of documentation and communication? The questionability of the arts' contribution to the economy also forced me to consider just how important it is. Again in terms of design, distinctly branding and identity, what has to be thought of is the fact that people buy into brands as a result of their visual language. Without identities, created considering style trends and popular culture of the arts, would businesses be as successful? and in turn what would be the effect of this on the economy. 

Eno's view on the arts being an "embellishment and embroidery" of the basic necessities of life also intrigued and provoked thought from myself. I very much liked this ideology, this notion of our capacity to enhance the mundane. The significance of the arts affect on human life itself cannot be denied as we "stylise" every aspect of our lives from, as Brian Eno says, food to clothing, to moving even. He explores the fact that "You have to wear clothes. But you don’t have to come up with Dior dresses or Doc Marten boots or Chanel little black frock." Further links here can be made to branding and identity in design, as it is these that enable us to enhance our own particular self-perception.

Perhaps Eno's most interesting point made in this lecture is the idea of imagination being the primary tool for creation, making reference to the first occurrences of this in childhood. Our ability to imagine is instinctual as humans, immersing ourselves in other imagined worlds through which we can adapt our reality. He identifies the fact we are constantly learning, through play as children. However, "children  learn through play, while adults play through art." It is this common denominator of humanity that creates bonds of community within society.

The final point of Eno's John Peel lecture establishes the need for humanity to "somehow stay coherent" in a world of ultrafast, perpetual change. The challenges faced as a result of this will mean a necessity to "constantly be remoulding ourselves," however this may not be as hard as it seems as a result of the massively influential culture of the arts, which are ever-changing, constantly redefining popular culture and inspiring us to be involved in what's current. 

"I think we need to be thinking about art and culture not as a little add-on, a bit of luxury, but as the central thing that we do." 

- Brian Eno

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