1 Change and Continuity: the Influences of Taoist Philosophy and Cultural Practices on Contemporary Art Practice Bonita Ely Doctor of Philosophy 2009 University of Western Sydney 2 The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material, either in full or in part, for a degree at this or any other institution. ....................................................... 3 Many thanks to my supervisors, Dr. Peter Dallow, Dr. Noelene Lucas and David Cubby for their support, knowledge and guidance. The Chinati Foundation, Marfa Texas, and the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales gave essential support to this research. Thanks also to Marina Grounds Ely, Huy Ky Do, Sandy Edwards and Sue Goldfish, and my colleagues, Allan Giddy, Sylvia Ross, Martin Sims and Emma Price for their support. 4 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................10 CHAPTER 2: A HISTORY OF DISCOURSE – EAST WEST AND BACK AGAIN.........23 RHIZOME #1: Chinoiserie and Zen, installation art and earthworks......................................................25 KU – NOTHINGNESS, THE VOID ...........................................................................................................35 MA – THE IN-BETWEEN ZONE ..............................................................................................................35 WABI SABI – SOLITUDE AND AUSTERITY, CONTINUITY AND CHANGE ..........................................36 RHIZOME #2: Buddhism to Taoism to Ch’en to Zen................................................................................37 BUDDHISM TO TAOISM .........................................................................................................................38 CH’EN TO ZEN ........................................................................................................................................39 GARDEN ART, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY COALESCE ..............................................43 SPATIALITY, ZEN GARDENS AND INSTALLATION ART......................................................................47 RHIZOME #3: Taoist Philosophy, Western Thinkers ...............................................................................51 GOTTFRIED LEIBNIZ ..............................................................................................................................51 ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD...............................................................................................................54 GILLES DELEUZE ...................................................................................................................................54 CARL JUNG .............................................................................................................................................55 RHIZOME #4: Calligraphy and Abstraction ..............................................................................................57 RHIZOME #5: Tao the Invisible – Fluxus...................................................................................................62 RHIZOME #6: Colonisation, Grand Expositions and Seigfried Bing......................................................69 RHIZOME #7: Travellers .............................................................................................................................71 RHIZOME #8: The East Asian Diaspora ....................................................................................................74 RHIZOME #9: New Waves, West to East...................................................................................................81 CHAPTER 3: MIXED METHODS ..................................................................................85 History as a Rhizome..................................................................................................................................86 Combining Scholarly Research with Visual Literacy ..............................................................................87 6 Capacity to Demystify Mythology..............................................................................................................88 Capacity for Originality...............................................................................................................................88 Metonymy ....................................................................................................................................................89 Artists’ Heightened Awareness of Aesthetic Qualities ...........................................................................90 Physiological Mechanisms of the Studio Research Method ..................................................................92 The Studio Research Method in Practice .................................................................................................93 Creative Research Parallels Taoism and Deleuze ...................................................................................97 The Application of Taoist Theory Regarding Creativity in the Thesis.................................................100 Spontaneous, Graphic Improvisation as a Taoist Art Form .................................................................102 Fieldwork, Marfa, Texas, New York, Dia:Beacon and Beijing...............................................................102 CHAPTER 4: TAOIST CALLIGRAPHY........................................................................104 BACKGROUND..........................................................................................................................................109 A HISTORY OF SINICISATION IN VIETNAM............................................................................................109 THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE LONGEVITY CHARACTER ...................................................................111 IMPROVISATION – CONTINUITY AND CHANGE ....................................................................................112 DELEUZE, REPRESENTATION, SUBJECTIVITY, CONTEXT .................................................................116 CALLIGRAPHY AS A SIGNIFIER IN HUÉ ................................................................................................117 CATEGORIES OF IMPROVISATION FOUND IN HUÉ..............................................................................119 CHAPTER FIVE: ONE HUNDRED OBLONGS - One Thing After Another ................133 INSTALLATION ART – Background: .......................................................................................................136 DONALD JUDD’S MARFA BOXES ...........................................................................................................145 LIFE EXPERIENCE: Encounters with Taoism ........................................................................................153 IMPROVISATION .......................................................................................................................................159 THE FIELDWORK: JUDD’S UNTITLED INSTALLATION, MARFA, TEXAS............................................167 OBJECTIVES OF THE FIELD RESEARCH IN MARFA ........................................................................168 BACKGROUND: JUDD’S PREPARATORY EXPERIMENTS................................................................168 7 FIELD RESEARCH OF JUDD’S IMPROVISATIONAL METHOD..........................................................170 OUTCOMES OF THE RESEARCH OF JUDD’S DRAWINGS...............................................................173 ANALYSIS OF JUDD’S IMPROVISATIONS ..........................................................................................179 PLACEMENT OF 100 MILLED ALUMINIUM BOXES, MARFA, TEXAS ...............................................185 RESEARCH OUTCOMES ..........................................................................................................................186 CHAPTER 6: BOOK FROM THE SKY - TIANSHU ....................................................187 DESCRIPTION AND PROCESS OF PRODUCTION .................................................................................188 THE INSTALLATION..............................................................................................................................188 THE BOOKS ..........................................................................................................................................189 THE IMAGERY.......................................................................................................................................192 THE SCROLLS ......................................................................................................................................194 THE TITLE .............................................................................................................................................196 BACKGROUND..........................................................................................................................................197 BOOK FROM THE SKY: Taoism’s Direct Conceptual Influences.........................................................201 CONTINUITY AND CHANGE ................................................................................................................201 BOOK FROM THE SKY: For the Reader of Calligraphy.........................................................................204