Philip Glass - Community: Guestbook
by Richard Knight.
I am interested to know why Mr Glass has authorised the use of the music from Koyaanisqatsi for use in UK BMW ad. Given the subject matter of the movie an apocalyptic vision of the collision of two different worlds -- urban life and technology versus the environment - is it irony or does Buddhism have an anarchic element I'm not aware of ? Best, Richard.
by Ana Amorim
Following Mr Knight’s enquire I would like to know how is it possible for an artist who received from the Om Sarwasvati Hring Soha Tibet House, the "Art of Freedom Award", (2000) and from the Institute of International Education,the "Distinguished Service in the Arts" Award, (1994) to allow his artwork to be used for advertisement purposes by a corporation that in the 80’s used its “BMW Gallery” as a showroom in disguise for luxury cars. Where the works that “were not compatible with car selling were unlikely to be shown in such a commercial place.”
The showroom was of course open to the public. “But in doing so the company also attempted to add a psycholinguistic twist to its marketing strategy, energetically using the art works as hidden persuaders to enhance the emotional overtones and social status of their products. In the leaflet for the exhibition Drive!, for instance, the company announced: ‘Here, changing exhibits of the products, technology and heritage of Bavarian Motor Works will be displayed in the atmosphere of an art gallery beside equally stimulating exhibits from various artistic disciplines’. central to the successful swift from a gallery of art to one of automobiles is the fact that BMW doe not just sell over-priced expensive vehicles; more importantly, it sells distinctiveness and style, which art has always suggested and being associated with. It thus blurs the distinction between art and consumer durables, between what is supposed to be above commodification and that which is first and foremost commodity.”
Source: Privitising Culture - Chin-tao Wu
Ana Amorim
