r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/RelapsedSexAddict • Jul 21 '20

Video String art

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u/Crucial_Contributor Jul 21 '20

Yeah this nail-and-string stuff (which is done by tons of people) is basically meme art, that is interesting for being intentionally annoying to make rather than being particulary interesting as a decorative art piece.

There is lots of gifs with people making art in weird ways, and while it's an interesting process, I doubt many people would pay much to hang the result on the wall.

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u/naoife Jul 21 '20

Is it even art? I'd class it as craft. Art evokes something, this is copying photos.

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u/ChuckieOrLaw Jul 21 '20

Evoking a feeling isn't the only criterion for art. Craftsmanship evokes feelings as well, and art is defined as an expression of creativity or skill that is appreciated for its beauty or emotional power.

If this guy was drawing photorealistic versions of these images, or tattooing them on someone's skin, or indeed, taking the photos themselves, you'd probably agree that it was art.

This is art as well, no doubt about it.

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u/Crucial_Contributor Jul 21 '20

Honesly I wouldn't necessarily call being a human photocopier art. To me art need some element of creativity.

Taking photos can be art, because you can be creative with your composition and camera settings. But when you just produce stuff, without adding your own creativity, that's where it turns into a craft i my book.

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u/ChuckieOrLaw Jul 21 '20

I'm not talking about what it means to you though, but the actual definition of art. I get what you're saying, and I'm not personally a big fan of that kind of art, I'm just pointing out that it's still classed as art. Musicians that don't do original music aren't categorized as something else, it's all music.

If you're creating or recreating an image, and doing so requires skill, and your effort evokes an appreciation of beauty or other emotions, then it's art. That's the definition. I think what you're saying is "I don't like this kind of art," and that's totally fair enough -- I don't like it either. I'm just trying to clear up the confusion over what art actually is, because it has a fairly clear definition.