Weekly Blogpost #27

Saturday, March 22rd, 2014

Reflections on SAAC Fine and Performing Arts 2014, at Nido, Chile

Well, talking about art in ToK. I am back from the trip, and am very exhausted (excuse any incoherence in my thoughts, if there are any). But I thought that the connections between the two, trip and subject of discussion in class, so great that I decided to talk about it.

The theme for this SAAC was "Otredad." Now, what does it mean? The only "guidance" we received was the expression "I am me because you are you." Then, the phrase was left for our own interpretations. The diversity of interpretations was most obviously noticed in the art students' works, as they had to paint benches in groups of four to five in response to the theme. However, even in the other realms of art such as Band, Choir and Drama, the theme was reflected. We were all different, pertaining not only from different schools but also different backgrounds, yet we were all striving towards a common goal: to create art. Whether painting a bench, or singing, or performing a play, or playing a song, we were all working towards the goal of creating art. And the result, the reception from the audience, depended on how well we managed to work together, help each other out, to achieve this goal.
Therefore, I think that in any time, the way that art is "evaluated" is by how well it manages to connect people. Because that is what art is for. To express and leave an impression that allows space for more expression and interpretation.