And now, a small tribute to the more positive side of failure (drawing a connection to yet another keyword, 'beauty'), as quoted from Walter Benjamin's writings in Franz Kakfa: On the Tenth Anniversary of His Death.
"To do justice to the figure of Kafka in its purity and peculiar beauty one must never lose sight of one thing: it is the purity and beauty of a failure. The circumstances of this are manifold. One is tempted to say: once he was certain of eventual failure, everything worked out for him en route as in a dream. There is nothing more memorable than the fervor with which Kafka emphasized his failure."
Showing posts with label Ua. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ua. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Helsinki Group C - Tory, Ua, Hetta: Combined Response to Amsterdam Keywords 'Falhanco' and 'Ta-Da'.
We are intrigued by how 'Falhanco' and 'Ta-Da' as keywords, overlap in so many more ways than simply being listed next to each other on the blog.
Falhanco: "the act or effect of failing...mistake, something done wrongly that should not have been done."
Ta-Da: "exclamation; an imitation of a fanfare, used typically to call attention to an impressive entrance or a dramatic announcement...embrace and celebrate your mistakes, and then move on...the healing power of humour."
It is in the space between these two terms, where we find insight into the fascinating struggle of the positive versus the negative outlook of error and failure. For us, these words begged the question, are there some mistakes that have been made, that we simply can never entirely embrace and move on from? Can humour heal all wounds?
If we were to push the boundaries of the word 'falhanco', and look to some of the greatest examples of when humanity perhaps, failed itself, what would it look like juxtaposed with images of fanfare, celebration, and good old fashioned 'clowning around'?
Have we been, or are we ever able to make light of issues and incidents that have affected and devastated us transnationally? Even if one culture or sub-culture may eventually deem subject matter 'safe' for humourous reflection, is this mutual with all parties involved? In cases wherein one culture has been invaded or dominated by another, what strategies can the dominated culture use to first heal themselves, and then use humour to subvert the power of their dominators?
From the point of view of the dominator: is it ever appropriate or are there any frames wherein it is possible to joke about these scenarios?
The following images imbue the term 'clowning around' with different, and rather provactative shades of meaning, drawing parallels between the spectacle of circus, and the specatacle of destruction and disgust.
Falhanco: "the act or effect of failing...mistake, something done wrongly that should not have been done."
Ta-Da: "exclamation; an imitation of a fanfare, used typically to call attention to an impressive entrance or a dramatic announcement...embrace and celebrate your mistakes, and then move on...the healing power of humour."
It is in the space between these two terms, where we find insight into the fascinating struggle of the positive versus the negative outlook of error and failure. For us, these words begged the question, are there some mistakes that have been made, that we simply can never entirely embrace and move on from? Can humour heal all wounds?
If we were to push the boundaries of the word 'falhanco', and look to some of the greatest examples of when humanity perhaps, failed itself, what would it look like juxtaposed with images of fanfare, celebration, and good old fashioned 'clowning around'?
Have we been, or are we ever able to make light of issues and incidents that have affected and devastated us transnationally? Even if one culture or sub-culture may eventually deem subject matter 'safe' for humourous reflection, is this mutual with all parties involved? In cases wherein one culture has been invaded or dominated by another, what strategies can the dominated culture use to first heal themselves, and then use humour to subvert the power of their dominators?
From the point of view of the dominator: is it ever appropriate or are there any frames wherein it is possible to joke about these scenarios?
The following images imbue the term 'clowning around' with different, and rather provactative shades of meaning, drawing parallels between the spectacle of circus, and the specatacle of destruction and disgust.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)