An Aleatory History of the Stick
2014 - Film & Video (Film & Video)
Michael Linares
After two years of research in close conversation with anthropologists and archaeologists, Linares eventually enrolled in classes to study archeology—specifically the history of material artifacts. He became obsessed with the origin of metaphor, and the stick as the Ur (earliest) object used by humans that led to the formation of meaning itself. This video, which accompanies the “Museum of the Stick,” is part of major work surveying material culture collected and presented by the artist through a complex narrative of associations and anthropological research. Here “aleatory” means not just random but subject to the complex and organic forces of chance. “As early as the Pliocene epoch, the stick as a specific, three-dimensional form has played a vital role in the technological, social, political, aesthetic, and religious development of humanity and some animal species. The chimpanzee’s tool that catches termites, the facial ornamentation of the Yanomami people, the Shulgi of Ur’s weaponry—as well as the toothpick, knitting needle, and vaulting-pole—all represent a minute slice of the myriad transfigurations that this form has undergone throughout history.”
Michael Linares (San Juan, Puerto Rico) asks critical questions about the most fundamental forms and concepts of art. His recent work has combined physical comedy with formal abstraction, scholarly research and quotidian material culture. Through staging conceptual acts, often as ruptures of artworld conventions, he slyly invites new ways of seeing what’s been in front of us all along.
Colors:
Related works sharing similar palette
© » KADIST
Naresh Kumar
2015“Relation between Black and blood” explores the connection between performance, installation and representation...
© » THEARTNEWSPER
Arnolfini censorship row deepens as artists refuse to work with the Bristol institution Art market Museums & heritage Exhibitions Books Podcasts Columns Technology Adventures with Van Gogh Search Search Censorship news Arnolfini censorship row deepens as artists refuse to work with the Bristol institution The dispute was sparked by a decision to cancel Palestine Film Festival events Gareth Harris 14 December 2023 Share Signatories say that the Arnolfini's cancellation is "part of an alarming pattern of censorship and repression within the arts sector" Courtesy Artists for Palestine UK More than 1,000 cultural figures—including the artists Ben Rivers, Brian Eno and Tai Shani—are refusing to work with the Arnolfini contemporary arts centre in Bristol, UK, after the institution cancelled two events last month as part of the city’s Palestine Film Festival...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
Creature comforts: "Creatures of Near Kingdoms" | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles Zedeck Siew / Tumblr April 1, 2020 By Kathy Rowland (650 words, 4-minute read) Zedeck Siew’s Creatures of Near Kingdoms is fashioned as a bestiary, detailing the appearance, characteristics, and habitats of 50 animals and 25 plants...
© » ART & OBJECT
10 Female Surrealist Artists You Should Know | Art & Object Skip to main content Subscribe to our free e-letter! Webform Your Email Address Role Art Collector/Enthusiast Artist Art World Professional Academic Country USA Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Ascension Island Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia & Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canary Islands Cape Verde Caribbean Netherlands Cayman Islands Central African Republic Ceuta & Melilla Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo - Brazzaville Congo - Kinshasa Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d’Ivoire Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard & McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong SAR China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao SAR China Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (Burma) Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Outlying Oceania Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Réunion Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka St...
© » ARTSY
The Most Influential Artists of 2023 | Artsy Skip to Main Content Advertisement The Year in Art 2023 Art The Most Influential Artists of 2023 Allyssia Alleyne Dec 14, 2023 4:07PM What does it mean to wield influence in 2023? As institutions are questioned, gatekeepers are unseated, and social media is giving a microphone to the masses, it’s clearer than ever that it’s not just about the size and strength of the platform you’ve built, but what you choose to do with it...
© » LARRY'S LIST
London’s Tate Modern encouraged visitors to browse through its digitised collection of over 77 thousand artworks, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art produced 360° virtual tours of its spaces and, closer home, the National Museum in New Delhi kept up with its patrons through regular informative posts on Instagram....
© » GALERIA FOKSAL
Szymon Szewczyk, Tears in My Eyes - Galeria Foksal Polski English GALERIA FOKSAL #Las Rzeczy Exhibitions Artists About gallery Contact Szymon Szewczyk Szymon Szewczyk, Tears in My Eyes June 25, 2022 Szymon Szewczyk | Tears in My Eyes Opening: Saturday, June 25th, 2022, 4pm – 8pm June 25th – August 20th, 2022 Curator: Katarzyna Krysiak The exhibition will include works made with polymer mass using the intarsia technique, which Szymon Szewczyk has been implementing in his art for many years The intarsias will show dancing characters, bodies in motion, some more simplified than others...
© » KQED
Ruby Ibarra’s New Record Label Comes Out Swinging | KQED Skip to Nav Skip to Main Skip to Footer The Do List Ruby Ibarra’s New Record Label Comes Out Swinging Listen Ariana Proehl Dec 5 Save Article Save Article Failed to save article Please try again Facebook Share-FB Twitter Share-Twitter Email Share-Email Copy Link Copy Link Bolo Music Group’s founding roster of artists, from L-R: Ouida, Ian Santillano, Ruby Ibarra and Vince A...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
Coda Culture: A Space for Freedom | Arts Equator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles Akanksha Raja October 11, 2018 As told to Akanksha Raja In the latest instalment in our series covering independent art spaces in Southeast Asia, ArtsEquator.com spoke with artist Seelan Palay to learn about his practice, his inspirations, and his journey setting up the independent alternative art space Coda Culture , at 803 King George’s Avenue in Singapore...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
UNHEARD: Hearing Singapore women composers loud and clear | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia ArtsEquator Viewpoints Jamie Chan March 3, 2022 By Nicole Toh (825 words, 3-minute read) “When do women get to be heard for who we are?” That was the question raised by Rachel Lim, a Singaporean soprano and UNHEARD ’s founder at the start of the concert...
