In Praise of Nonsense: Aesthetics, Uncertainty, and Postmodern Identity

249 Pages·2012·21.7 MB·English

by  Ted Hiebert

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In Praise of Nonsense
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IN
PRAISE
OF
NONSENSE
Aesthetics, Uncertainty,
and Postmodern Identity
Ted Hiebert
M GILL-QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY PRESS
C
Montreal&Kingston • London • Ithaca
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©McGill-Queen’sUniversityPress2012
ISBN978-0-7735-3973-0(cloth)
ISBN978-0-7735-3974-7(paper)
Legaldepositthirdquarter2012
BibliothèquenationaleduQuébec
PrintedinCanadaonacid-freepaperthatis100%ancientforestfree
(100%post-consumerrecycled),processedchlorinefree
McGill-Queen’sUniversityPressacknowledgesthesupportofthe
CanadaCouncilfortheArtsforourpublishingprogram.Wealso
acknowledgethefinancialsupportoftheGovernmentofCanada
throughtheCanadaBookFundforourpublishingactivities.
LibraryandArchivesCanadaCataloguinginPublication
Hiebert,Ted,1973–
Inpraiseofnonsense:aesthetics,uncertainty,andpostmodern
identity/TedHiebert.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-7735-3973-0(bound).
ISBN978-0-7735-3974-7(pbk.)
1.Aesthetics. 2.Postmodernism. 3.Imagination.
4.Uncertainty. 5.Creation(Literary,artistic,etc.). I.Title.
BH301.P69H532012 149'.97 C2012-901368-4
Thisbookwasdesignedandtypesetbystudiooneononein
Stoneserif9/13.5
hiebert front:Layout 1 5/14/12 10:43 AM Page v
Contents
Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Preface 3
PartOne:TechnologiesofDisappearance 13
1 WillfulAlienation 20
2 ProstheticPhenomenology 37
3 VacuousBeing 53
PartTwo:TechnologiesofIronicAppearance 69
4 PlayingDead 77
5 FantasiesofTrauma 92
6 PerspectivalRoadkill 110
PartThree:TechnologiesofNonsense 131
7 Becoming-Rorschach 140
8 PhotographingVampires 162
9 MetaphysicalLaziness 186
Postscript 206
Notes 215
Bibliography 225
Index 233
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Illustrations
ChristianKuras.Console.Mixedmedia,2002.Imagecourtesyoftheartist.
22–3
ChristianKuras.Metaboy.Acrylliconboard,2003.Imagecourtesyof
theartist. 24
MikePaget.FearCommandos.Videostill:dimensionsvariable,2003.
Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 38
MikePaget.FearCommandos.Videostill:dimensionsvariable,2003.
Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 39
DuncanMacKenzie.KiddiePool.Mixedmedia,2005.Imagecourtesy
oftheartist. 54
DuncanMacKenzie.KiddiePool.Mixedmedia,2005.Imagecourtesy
oftheartist. 54
Jackson2Bears.TenLittleIndians[Remix].Videostill,2005.Imagecourtesy
oftheartist. 78
Jackson2Bears.TenLittleIndians[Remix].Videostill,2005.Imagecourtesy
oftheartist. 79
ScottRogers.ScottRogersGoogleProject.GoogleSearchResultsPage,
2004–05.Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 93
ScottRogers.Self-portraitasScottRogers.Mixedmedia,2004–05.
Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 93
ScottRogers.Self-portraitasScottRogers.Mixedmedia,2004–05.
Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 94
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viii Illustrations
TedHiebert.Negative-imageself-portrait.Colourphotograph,1997. 99
Archeopteryx8(ErikKaiel,choreographer).Haikud’Etat.Danceperformance,
Montreal,2003.Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 111
Archeopteryx8(ErikKaiel,choreographer).Haikud’État.Danceperformance,
Montreal,2003.Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 112
Archeopteryx8(ErikKaiel,choreographer).Haikud’Etat.Danceperformance,
Montreal,2003.Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 113
ChrisGillespie.Chair,CoffeeTable,Lamp,etc.MixedMedia,2006.
Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 141
TimvanWijk.RightofWay.MixedMedia,2002.Imagecourtesy
oftheartist. 142
ToniHafkenscheid.Train+Gun,HopeB.C.ColourPhotograph,2003.Image
courtesyoftheartist. 143
DuncanMacKenzie.TheWorld’sLargestZombieGroupHug.MixedMedia,
2004.Imagecourtesyoftheartist. 144
IsabelleHayeur.Blindsight.Digitalprint,2005.Imagecourtesy
oftheartist. 163
JenniferLong.Hairworks:Olivia.Colourphotograph,2005.Imagecourtesy
oftheartist. 166
DougJarvis.BallInsideMyHead.Conceptphotograph,2005.Image
courtesyoftheartist. 188
DougJarvis.BallInsideMyHead.Conceptdrawing,2005.Imagecourtesy
oftheartist. 189
SamLoyd.NineDotsPuzzle(alsocalledChristopherColumbus’sEgg),circa
1914.AdaptedandreproducedunderthetermsoftheGNU FreeDocumen-
tationLicense.Source:SteveGustavson,WikiMediaCommons,2006. 211
hiebert front:Layout 1 5/14/12 10:43 AM Page ix
Acknowledgments
This book grew out of my dissertation in the Humanities PhD Program at
Concordia University. The initial manuscript owes much to the support and
guidanceofmydoctoralcommittee:ArthurKroker,CatherineRussell,Evergon,
andJohanneSloane.Sincethattimethebookhasgonethroughrevisionsand
rewrites that could not have happened without the support of the Pacific
CentreforTechnologyandCultureattheUniversityofVictoriaandthemen-
torship of Arthur and Marilouise Kroker. I would also like to thank Philip
CerconeatMcGill-Queen’sforhisenthusiasmforthemanuscriptandJessica
Howarthforherexperteditorialguidance.
Finally,Iamgratefultoeachoftheartistswhogenerouslyallowedmeto
includeimagesoftheirworkinthisbook:Jackson2bears,ChrisGillespie,Toni
Hafkenscheid,IsabelleHayeur,DougJarvis,ErikKaiel,ChristianKuras,Jennifer
Long,DuncanMacKenzie,MikePaget,ScottRogers,andTimvanWijk.
PortionsoftheintroductionstoPartIandPartIIwerepublishedinDrain:
A Journal of Contemporary Art and Theory 5.0 (Fall 2005) as “The Medusa
Complex: A Theory of Stoned Posthumanism.” Portions of chapter 1 were
publishedinCTheory28:2(Spring2005)as“TheLacanianConspiracy.”The
introductiontochapter1appearedindANDelion14:2(Fall2004)as“Nervous
Control Centre” and also appeared as an exhibition monograph for Central
NervousControl,anexhibitionbyChristianKurasatTheNewGallery(Calgary,
2004).Anearlierversionofchapter5waspublishedinPsychoanalyticReview
84.1 (Winter 2007) as “Mirrors that Pout: Subjectivity in the Age of the
Screen.”Theintroductiontochapter7appearedasacuratorialcatalogue
essay for the exhibition SuperModels at Open Space Artist-Run Centre (Vic-
toria,2006).TheIntroductiontochapter8appearedasacuratorialcatalogue
essay for the exhibition Vulnerable Light at Open Space Artist-Run Centre
(Victoria,2006).