a multimedia course, new methodologies in the work with otherness

 New methodologies in the work with otherness. 

By abdel Hernández San Juan and Surpik angelini

1997

Following abdel Hernández San Juan 1996 theoretical paper read by him at fondren library focussed in developing max Weber and Alfred shutz " ideal types" method in sociology to the analysis of paradigms of configuratiónal procedures of " the posmodern work", abdel hernandez san Juan and Surpik angelini commit themselves to lecture a three months course of one lecture a week discussing several modalities of the work with otherness as "ideal types" under contemporary art.

This course focussed on a variety of well diferienced modalities

1- the museum and the market: high and popular culture/ otherness or alterity?

This first one "ideal types" born with an abdel project of research as curator of venezuelan art at the Alejandro Otero museum of visual art when he was focussing the relation between the high art museum and the food distributión market of coche since abdel asked about if the food market must be understand as one and the same market with the museum art market or instead as an otherness to it or optionally as an alterity to it, the question itself evolved to be both one on the relation between the museum (the I, we or us) and the market (otherness to the museum or alterity to it, --meaning optionally self-exteriorization or otherness of the self).

2- The "I Mirrors" or the objective social otherness/intersubjectivity

This secound one "ideal type" discussed modality adquieres form as result of abdel and Surpik letters exchanges 1995-1996, when Surpik expressed to be interested in the relation between the "I" and it's "double figural" (in her words this notion of double figural), the "i in the mirrors" or the specular otherness optionally as several "I"s?, or optionally as projected by the "i otherness" versus objective others, and abdel answered saying that such otherness was an invention of the crysalide of being, negating that otherness and focussed instead real others in terms of the individual versus social others, this modality developed under research dialogue adquiered attention and was discussed at the course in between two issues, a) the issue of biography, (pyche, eros and othernnes as mirrors to the i), developed under the Surpik angelini exhibit as well as focussed instead as b) as an objective otherness under the exploration of works between two authors, what it means as challenge to one author sharing his work with another one?, this objective other side was derived then in discussing both intersubjectivity and dialogues, the first one otherness of Surpik mirrors derived in self-narratives and biography, the secound abdel one derived in discussing intersubjectivity and dialogue.

3-the otherness of an anticipated idealized other seen from the work inside as a later reader or later viewer to the author

Under this "ideal types" several modalities were semiologically analyzed at language level of destinataries (readers, receptor or viewers) thus discussed as otherness of the anticipated idealized external reader to the author at the configuratiónal level of the work, two analytic modes derived from it A) a suspended time of process or procesualism B) a posponed always or only anticipated otherness less considered as concretized otherness.

4-objective others in community spatialities

This modality of ideal types was similar to the first one on otherness or alterity between high and non high culture such as massive culture/mass medias or folklore as explored by Juan Carlos rodriguez

Generally this course from abdel perspectives was intrinsecally entailed with his weverian and shurtian influenced  perspectives, comprehensive, phenomenological sociology and from the Surpik angelini side entailed with her Thomas mc evilley influenced perspectives,

On his part abdel strongly focussed from referencing max wever and shutz, but also his often semiotic theory perspective  todorov, eco, bajtin and kristeva, Surpik on her side focussed Thomas mc evilley art and othernness

5-finally another two ideal types of otherness resulted from an aditionals perspectives abdel and Surpik commited to share and afford toguether, first the bajtinian issues of poliphony and multivocality, and secound  the issue of primitivism as discussed at moma exhibit on primitivism from which they shared references under this part of the course to Thomas mc evilley análysis on the exhibit.

Two films one on socalled naif art (folklore) as otherness to highart, a documentary one on Íñigo, and another one ethnographic film on yoruba religión in cuban rituals "regla de Ocha" religión as otherness to Christian religión were showed at the end of the course

Tape recorded by Surpik angelini, film recorded by Surpik angelini, transart foundation sounds and images archive, and film by Brian huberman from the rice media center, included the presente in the audience of Stephen A Tyler, Stephen Fox, Richard ingelson, Brian huberman, lane Kauffman, Thomas mc evilley, between others.

Rice University, Houston, texas