Michelangelo Pistoletto - Mappamondo (Globe)
When isolated, ideas and ideals seem so clear and so defined. Standing up for those ideals seems like an effortless and righteous task. After all, in a perfect world, in a controlled environment, every idea is either black and white, sinister or pure in nature and is contained within very clear boundaries, with its respective villains and heroes.
When it comes to looking at these ideas and ideals in their larger context, in the capricious and often changing socio-cultural conditions, the way Michelangelo Pistoletto did in many of his works, the boundaries between right and wrong are no longer so clearly defined. And as these previously-clear-cut lines become more and more muddled the more one begins to look at the surrounding context, so do ideas and ideals become more and more blurred, boundaries become easier to cross and previously unjustifiable decisions become easier to justify.
Pistoletto’s observations of the ever-changing social and political spheres in the post-WWII world are even more identifiable today than they were in any decades of the past. With the global exchange of information, with news sources often presenting heavily-convoluted factoids and with everyone’s two-cents on the latest hot topics – all readily available through this global information exchange network – it is just never easy to apply one’s own ideas within the real world situations.
The truth is convoluted and the answer is frequently a compromise of ideals, an attempt to appease to the largest number of audience members. The only difference is that the audience is intangible now, often with the whole world watching and anticipating a right decision to be made. With such a large pool of observers, every decision has its number of supporters and a number of critics and nothing seems so clear and defined any more.
When isolated, ideas and ideals seem so clear and so defined. Standing up for those ideals seems like an effortless and righteous task. After all, in a perfect world, in a controlled environment, every idea is either black and white, sinister or pure in nature and is contained within very clear boundaries, with its respective villains and heroes.
When it comes to looking at these ideas and ideals in their larger context, in the capricious and often changing socio-cultural conditions, the way Michelangelo Pistoletto did in many of his works, the boundaries between right and wrong are no longer so clearly defined. And as these previously-clear-cut lines become more and more muddled the more one begins to look at the surrounding context, so do ideas and ideals become more and more blurred, boundaries become easier to cross and previously unjustifiable decisions become easier to justify.
Pistoletto’s observations of the ever-changing social and political spheres in the post-WWII world are even more identifiable today than they were in any decades of the past. With the global exchange of information, with news sources often presenting heavily-convoluted factoids and with everyone’s two-cents on the latest hot topics – all readily available through this global information exchange network – it is just never easy to apply one’s own ideas within the real world situations.
The truth is convoluted and the answer is frequently a compromise of ideals, an attempt to appease to the largest number of audience members. The only difference is that the audience is intangible now, often with the whole world watching and anticipating a right decision to be made. With such a large pool of observers, every decision has its number of supporters and a number of critics and nothing seems so clear and defined any more.
"Design Delirious"
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