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Well, all art is basically things with no clear value for survival. You could even say that's the definition of it :-)

by Darthy 9y ago

osense 9y ago
I disagree that art is limited to things which have no clear value for survival. People have decorated every-day objects in their surroundings for millennia. Survival-themed video games have an innate attractiveness to many of us. Some even seek out to make their homes as plain & functional as possible and call it an art movement — minimalism.
- TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
  Imagine an art-free world. Everything would be as functional and utilitarian as possible, with zero design and decoration. Our world looks and sounds nothing like that. We put an incredible amount of effort into aesthetics. Virtually nothing is 100% utilitarian. Shape, colour, texture, and sound are all considered essential. None of that has direct survival value, but it clearly has such deep emotional benefits that most people would find it very hard to be happy or functional in a purely utilitarian world.
  - slfnflctd 9y ago
    This is hugely visible in architecture. There is a gray, rectangular building made of cinder blocks not far from here. The lighting is sufficient for all tasks needed, and its heating, cooling and drainage functionality is optimal. A more recently built structure used for a similar purpose sits a few blocks away. Several pointless curves, colors and contrasting materials were used in its design. Light is allowed in from overly large windows near the roof line, leading to wildly varying amounts of illumination in much of the interior. It does not heat and cool evenly. The landscaping is excessive and requires additional maintenance. Strangely, construction projects seem to be trending away from the former type of structure and toward the latter. Which building would you rather work in?
  - pishpash 9y ago
    In fact we reject purely utilitarian landscapes as, variously, alien, cold, robotic, or dystopic. More specific to music, it clearly has a unique value even within art. Multiple directors have said something to the effect that a movie doesn't work until the music is put in.
AnIdiotOnTheNet 9y ago
Not at all. Art is communication, and is therefore of incredible value to social beings like ourselves.
pishpash 9y ago
Art/music is the native language of emotive content, just as logic/mathematics is the native language of rational content. Notice the latter came much later and now we tend to forget how important the former was for communication in a human society before rational thought was codified.
WalterSear 9y ago
Art, Reality, and the Brain: The Quest for Aesthetic Universals - Dr. V.S. Ramachandran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fipuHMHqxU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fipuHMHqxU

Well, all art is basically things with no clear value for survival. You could even say that's the definition of it :-)

by Darthy 9y ago

Well, all art is basically things with no clear value for survival. You could even say that's the definition of it :-)

I disagree that art is limited to things which have no clear value for survival. People have decorated every-day objects in their surroundings for millennia. Survival-themed video games have an innate attractiveness to many of us. Some even seek out to make their homes as plain & functional as possible and call it an art movement — minimalism.

TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
Imagine an art-free world. Everything would be as functional and utilitarian as possible, with zero design and decoration. Our world looks and sounds nothing like that. We put an incredible amount of effort into aesthetics. Virtually nothing is 100% utilitarian. Shape, colour, texture, and sound are all considered essential. None of that has direct survival value, but it clearly has such deep emotional benefits that most people would find it very hard to be happy or functional in a purely utilitarian world.
- slfnflctd 9y ago
  This is hugely visible in architecture. There is a gray, rectangular building made of cinder blocks not far from here. The lighting is sufficient for all tasks needed, and its heating, cooling and drainage functionality is optimal. A more recently built structure used for a similar purpose sits a few blocks away. Several pointless curves, colors and contrasting materials were used in its design. Light is allowed in from overly large windows near the roof line, leading to wildly varying amounts of illumination in much of the interior. It does not heat and cool evenly. The landscaping is excessive and requires additional maintenance. Strangely, construction projects seem to be trending away from the former type of structure and toward the latter. Which building would you rather work in?
- pishpash 9y ago
  In fact we reject purely utilitarian landscapes as, variously, alien, cold, robotic, or dystopic. More specific to music, it clearly has a unique value even within art. Multiple directors have said something to the effect that a movie doesn't work until the music is put in.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 9y ago

Not at all. Art is communication, and is therefore of incredible value to social beings like ourselves.

pishpash 9y ago

Art/music is the native language of emotive content, just as logic/mathematics is the native language of rational content. Notice the latter came much later and now we tend to forget how important the former was for communication in a human society before rational thought was codified.

WalterSear 9y ago

Art, Reality, and the Brain: The Quest for Aesthetic Universals - Dr. V.S. Ramachandran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fipuHMHqxU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fipuHMHqxU