{"id":1253,"date":"2010-06-02T14:31:04","date_gmt":"2010-06-02T18:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1253"},"modified":"2010-06-02T15:23:11","modified_gmt":"2010-06-02T19:23:11","slug":"dance-this-mess-around","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1253","title":{"rendered":"Dance This Mess Around"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Does<\/p>\n

Dance first.\u00a0 Think later. It’s the natural order.
\n<\/em>—Samuel Beckett<\/a><\/p>\n

[Photograph seen on Janet Parke’s Sketchblog<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

In a post to the Ultra Fractal Mailing List<\/a>, Janet Parke<\/a> describes a recent project mashing fractal art with ballet.\u00a0 She links to an entry in her Sketchblog<\/a> where she outlines the genesis of the mixed-media performance as follows:<\/p>\n

I had the idea to merge the two artistic passions of my life into one project — a ballet about the iterations and relationships of my life, costumed with my fractal art printed on fabric.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Sketchblog post traces the creative ideology behind the undertaking and includes the fractal image used as a model, design sketches, and photographs of the costumes.\u00a0 A link to a video excerpt<\/a> of the performance, entitled through you so i<\/em>, is also included.<\/p>\n

Parke asked the UF List for comments.\u00a0 And, unsurprisingly, she got plenty.\u00a0 Here’s a sampling:<\/p>\n

Your ballet is GORGEOUS AND INSPIRING!!
\n–Blythe Hoyle<\/p>\n

Amazing! Beautiful! Brilliant!!! What a perfect blend of arts.
\n–Mad<\/p>\n

Absolutely brilliant, Janet, and an inevitable fusion of your two talents. Gorgeous!
\n–Pam Blackstone<\/p>\n

This looks Ultra(Fractal) Cool! Great idea, and beautiful show!
\n–Eveline Berkman<\/p>\n

Amazing. The costumes look so gorgeous. Wouldn’t you ladies all love to have one of those dresses? I know I\u00a0 would…
\n–Yvonne Mous<\/p>\n

Thank you so much for sharing Janet. I love the costumes and the way you were able to transform your two passions into something new and special. Great!
\n–Thea Verkerk<\/p>\n

wow !!
\nDo I recognize the art you showed in 2007 in San Sebastian (Spain) from the BMandelbrot-contest??
\n–Juliette Gribnau<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And so on.\u00a0 You get the idea.<\/p>\n

~\/~<\/p>\n

Since comments were asked for, I have a few of my own.<\/p>\n

First, about the responses.\u00a0 Who’s surprised?\u00a0 This is a case of maximum preaching to the choir.\u00a0 The UF List, whatever its pretensions as an art-sharing resource, proves again to be just another Fractalbook<\/a> social networking site dedicated to mutual ego-stroking and sycophantic flattery.\u00a0 Frankly, I see little difference in form and tone between the responses above and those I discussed from the deviantART fractal-sucking “masters”<\/a> from a few months back.\u00a0 Even if the replies are sincere, they still reek of cloying mawkishness and illustrate the rote kudos assembly line that so commonly infects Fractalbook.\u00a0 What a solipsistic, self-contained environment.\u00a0 It’s no compliment to point out that they are indeed their own audience.<\/p>\n

And why are so many of the UF Listers gushing over Parke’s decision to print fractals on fabric — as if this is some kind of novel approach?\u00a0 I have digital artist friends who’ve embraced the fiber arts<\/a> for years.\u00a0 Besides, how many of these fawning jokers have their own CafePress<\/a> or similar sites where they routinely hawk their fractal wares on t-shirts, tote bags<\/a>, ball caps<\/a>, and even thongs<\/a>?<\/p>\n

As for the ballet itself, you’d think I’d be inclined to like it.\u00a0 After all, I’ve advocated in previous OT posts that fractal art should evolve into more Phase Two<\/a> variations — that is, should move beyond software-bound expressions<\/a> and more openly embrace facets of the fine arts.\u00a0 But, in such cases, I generally assume that fractal mixed media has coherent and legitimate associations.\u00a0 Other than slapping fractals on tutus, what exactly are the interdisciplinary connections here?\u00a0 Parke seems a bit uncertain herself, and, in a response on the UF List to Ed, who “wondered why there were no ties with fractal motivs [sic],” says:<\/p>\n

Perhaps you meant you didn’t see a direct connection between the choreography and the art that was used on the costumes. I didn’t really try to make a connection there. I just knew that the art had the palette I was looking for and the soft gradation of color and minimal fractal structure that would be effective on fabric for this type dress.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In fact, the only connector between the art and the dance specifically mentioned by Parke on her blog is the music that was used in the performance.\u00a0 She notes that<\/p>\n

The soft, painterly, oogey quality of the fractal’s coloring seemed a natural fit for the music I had chosen and the style of contemporary movement I would be using.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

but, ironically, the performance video is scored with different music because of “performance rights agreements.”\u00a0 Can we then assume the replacement music is also a “natural fit”?\u00a0 If so, then can any of us just substitute any score of our choosing?\u00a0 Since the costumes reminded me of tie-dye, I played the video with the sound off and put the Grateful Dead<\/a>‘s “Dark Star” on my stereo.\u00a0 The result?\u00a0 A theatrical representation closer to “Stoned Lake” than “Swan Lake<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

You know, I’d also like to jump on this bandwagon and combine my two passions — fractals and burlesque<\/a>.\u00a0 I plan to print my art on skimpy lingerie.\u00a0 I’ll replace tassels with spirals and strategically position a Mandel”box” right over the pubic area of the dancers’ panties.\u00a0 Then I’ll stage my “performance” at a local “gentlemen’s club.”<\/p>\n

Do you find my proposal lewd and absurd?\u00a0 I’d agree.\u00a0 But I’d also assert that my thought-problem\/half-baked-public-performance idea has just as many (if not more) interdisciplinary cross-connections between fractals and dance as does Parke’s.<\/p>\n

And, if it will help persuade any potential backers, I’ll even insist my dancers peel off their garments in a strictly non-Euclidean manner.<\/p>\n

~\/~<\/p>\n

Tags:<\/strong> fractal<\/a>, fractals<\/a>, fractal art<\/a>, fractal blog<\/a>, fractal dance<\/a>, dance this mess around<\/a>, janet parke<\/a>, through you so i<\/a>, ultra fractal mailing list<\/a>, fractalbook<\/a>, self similar strip tease<\/a>, cruelanimal<\/a>, orbit trap<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dance first.\u00a0 Think later. It’s the natural order. —Samuel Beckett [Photograph seen on Janet Parke’s Sketchblog.] In a post to the Ultra Fractal Mailing List, Janet Parke describes a recent project mashing fractal art with ballet.\u00a0 She links to an entry in her Sketchblog where she outlines the genesis of the mixed-media performance as follows: … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/fractalballet.jpg?fit=450%2C392","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":696,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=696","url_meta":{"origin":1253,"position":0},"title":"Janet Parke’s Ultra Fractal Courses Available as Ebooks","author":"Tim","date":"13 January, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The well-known fractal artist Janet Parke recently stopped teaching her highly popular Ultra Fractal courses at the online\u00a0 Visual Arts Academy.\u00a0 But just this week she has released them in downloadable ebook form for self-study.\u00a0 You can read all about them here on her website.\u00a0 The ebooks contain the text\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=696#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/master.jpg?fit=600%2C437&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/master.jpg?fit=600%2C437&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/master.jpg?fit=600%2C437&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":438,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=438","url_meta":{"origin":1253,"position":1},"title":"Have they no shame?","author":"Tim","date":"6 November, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, the winners of the Benoit Mandelbrot 2009 Fractal Art Contest are now out (and this time it's final).\u00a0 I'm skipping the usual clever art critic review for now because there's something that's just too outrageous not to comment on right off the bat.\u00a0 If you've seen the 2009 winners\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=438#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":366,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=366","url_meta":{"origin":1253,"position":2},"title":"My What a Big Fractal You Have #1","author":"cruelanimal","date":"19 February, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"No art, Sherlock... Tim, I really enjoyed your last post. I, too, have been thinking about the desire some fractal artists have to reveal more of their images in ever expansive detail. The methods fractal artists use for doing so seem to vary. Some prefer to draw the viewer into\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5474,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5474","url_meta":{"origin":1253,"position":3},"title":"No Talk of Art at Fractal Art Conference","author":"cruelanimal","date":"1 September, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Untitled by Alice Olive \u00a0 And then you get an artist says he doesn't want to paint at all He takes an empty canvas and sticks it on the wall --\"In the Gallery,\" Dire Straits I wrote last time about my concerns that most fractal \"artists\" are more accurately merely\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5474#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/UntitledbyAliceOlive_sm.jpg?fit=450%2C299&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":397,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=397","url_meta":{"origin":1253,"position":4},"title":"Has the 2009 Benoit Mandelbrot Fractal Art Contest Cleaned Up Its Act?","author":"cruelanimal","date":"4 August, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"What! Will these hands never be clean? It's baaaaack. The Benoit Mandelbrot Fractal Art Contest returns for 2009 with freshly scrubbed rules. Past co-director Damien M. Jones made the announcement last night on the Ultra Fractal Mailing List: Good evening listfolk, I would like to inform you that the Benoit\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 4 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 4 comments","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=397#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/washyourhandsoften.jpg?fit=325%2C450&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2817,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2817","url_meta":{"origin":1253,"position":5},"title":"BMFAC Announces Its Judging Panel","author":"cruelanimal","date":"27 July, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 A symbolic representation of the BMFAC judging panel. [Photograph seen here.] The 2011 Benoit Mandelbrot Fractal Art Contest (BMFAC) finally got around to releasing the names of its judges. They are: Honorary Presidents: Michael Barnsley Aliette Mandelbrot Panel Members: Don Archer Javier Barrallo Cory Ench Damien Jones David Makin\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BMFAC Judges","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/bmfac-judges.jpg?fit=450%2C348&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1253"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1256,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1253\/revisions\/1256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}