Thursday, July 13, 2006

15 June 2006

The ineffable is defined as that which cannot be uttered, the unutterable. Thus leaving language as the tool of/for description at a disadvantage. Perhaps though it is not language, which has failed us in our ability to describe and give structure to such experiences, but rather our limited and rather static approach to the language we have at our disposable.

In the Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein looks at structure of language and the ways in which we utilise it. Using a chessboard and its pieces as an example, Wittgenstein takes us through the various ways a more experiences player would explain to someone with less experience the nature of the pieces and their relevance. One flaw with such a description however is the very nature within which it is received. A king is a king, a Queen a Queen, a pawn a pawn, what would happen if one was to subvert the description, and call the King a Pawn or vice versa. Semiotics imposes a certain arrogance over those who use the signs and language of the everyday. How would one go about trying to define that which lacks or perhaps transcends the power of words?

Within religion blanket terms such as transcendence, enlightenment, and holy, are used with ease, much like: the, is, there. One can not use the actual term in question as part of the definition, so whole scale questions should be put forth towards the terms transcendence, enlightenment, and holy as examples. What do they mean, what does it mean to have a transcendent experience? Arguably the nature of the context surrounding and or providing such an experience is often used to provide a foundation for the definition, within the scope of religion, the nature of such an experience is as definable as the ineffable but more roundly understood and generally accepted as being a certain type, with a quasi known set of parameters.

In relation to fine art then the parameters are set; the viewer’s interaction with the work is the dialogue within which the ineffable is produced. Why then does the change of context make the experience harder to define, describe and or relate to? Moving backwards perhaps, questions should be posed as to the very nature of the ineffable: is the ineffable a transferable thing, does an object pure and passive relay such an experience, or rather is the ineffable a theatrical act, defined as such by Michael Freid? By delving deeper into the mechanics of such an experience(s) are we destroying its foundation? In an old fashioned manner part of what makes art relevant and important is the artist’s ability to change the viewer’s perception, to allow them to glimpse or see something they haven’t been able to see or would never have been allowed to see without the artist’s intervention. What then happens at the end to the art or the ineffable experience if the mechanics and conventions are thoroughly investigated? Will such experiences remain important, rather will such experiences maintain an importance within our ability ‘to want to believe’? There is an adage that knowledge is power, but do we (the viewer) need an enhanced understanding of the thing we cannot describe in the first place. Would love still be love if we understood why and how it worked completely? What is to be gained by this research… is it possible to destroy the experience by asking too much of the process? Is it arguable that it isn’t, a more comprehensive understanding of such experiences both in their makeup and then their relationship to the viewer is in need of some rigorous parameters, but where does one draw the line? Such experiences are often described as being sacred and uplifting, neither creating feelings not understood before nor necessarily after-how respectful must one be of that whilst still pursuing a complete understanding?

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