Micro Art

I'm impressed, but unsurprised, about the explosion of micro art being created on the tiny frame of a cell phone. One of the most amazing things about art is the diversity of inspiration of the artist. Urban graffiti artists can use their talent to transform the most mundane and sometimes downright ugly objects: the side of a building, a dumpster, the wall of a bridge. This is just another example of an artist being inspired by the most mundane of things, the phones most of us carry. Like another micro art form, the haiku, artists are working under imposed conditions that dictate the form. Also like haiku, the challenges of the form can force artists to new levels of creativity and connection to the work.

Where the world of visual arts can be welcoming to new and innovative art forms, I find that the world of literature seems to be much less hospitable. This point is borne out in the New Yorker article describing the rise of the cell phone novel in Japan. The article describes a well-known critic's assessment, saying " 'I don't even want to use the word literary ' " to describe the novels. However, despite the literary condemnation they receive, the popularity of the cell phone novel, both in reading and writing them, should stand as a testament that the written word is not dead. It's merely taking a different form.

Art is such a reflection of time and culture, it only makes sense that the newest works of art are produced electronically. After all, it's how many of us live our lives. Just like my mother's grandfather predicted the decline of civilization with the advent of rock and roll, there will be naysayers. However, rock and roll is still alive and kicking, as are Bach and Mozart, as is civilization. Just sayin' :).