Monday, May 18, 2009

The transitory nature of media

I am gaining whole tranches of new followers on Twitter, lately, from some of the most surprising quarters: two rugby organisations (neither of them South African, Go amabokkebokke!), a South African chef, a few art-related folks, several get-rich-quick punters (which I instantly block - such people are driven by motives I find deeply unsettling), and so on.

One new follower I gained today is called oohdotcom and this is their blog. Their latest post is a fascinating account of a young man known only as RJ who is referred to as the curator of a rather unusual museum. In fact, his museum is the East End of London itself. His exhibits are examples of urban art/grafitti, and he conducts regular tours. I strongly recommend that you read the whole post, it is very interesting.

But to me, it speaks of the short lifespan of so much of what we deal with today. Everything is transitory. Everything is beta (even alpha?). Some of the work that RJ shows is of a very high standard - work by artists who have exhibited in more traditional galleries. But RJ has to keep on his toes, because, at any moment, an 'exhibit' might be painted over or defaced. New material appears all the time, and disappears again, just as quickly.

It's quick. And getting quicker.

Got to dash. Things to do!

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