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Pornography or Erotica? On Art’s Function, Purpose, and Essence

March 18, 2024

art, criticism, experience, experiencing, love, philosophy, sexuality, society

The topic might sound unusual and, ironically enough, this too is part of the theme. Namely, we should be able to explore a topic as ubiquitous as human sexuality. The differentiation between pornography and erotica (erotic art, that is) is problematic. United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart notoriously said he couldn’t define it but he knew it when he saw it.

That isn’t good enough.

I want to define it and I want to understand it. I’ve had some discussions on the topic with my friend Igor, and I decided to take my side of the emails we exchanged, edit it for length and focus, and turn it into a post.

But here’s an important caveat: My main interest isn’t in defining pornography (or erotica). Rather, I want to create a more general theoretical framework that talks about the differences between art’s function, purpose, and essence. So while there will be a fairly in-depth discussion on pornography, erotica, and their differences, my ultimate focus will divert to art in general.

pornography vs erotica. Image of young woman — Erotica doesn’t even need to display nudity to be erotic. Though, funnily enough, even nudity *itself* can be a matter of definition (i.e. historical/cultural contexts). Is the woman of the photo nude (a little? a lot?) or not? Ask a twenty-year old secular, liberal person in present-day Helsinki and a Victorian prude like Christina Rossetti, and you’ll get very different answers!

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How to Write a Song Influenced by Postrock/Postmetal Sensitivities

February 26, 2024

Experiencing

art, creativity, experiencing, music

2 comments

This ought to have simply been a “here’s how I write my music” post, but I decided to shift the focus a bit. So this became a “how to write a song” post. And since my music is influenced by postrock/postmetal sensitivities, the weight will naturally be on that.

Perhaps you are not interested in music composition. Maybe you don’t feel that learning how to write a song (of any genre) is useful to you. Or perhaps you play music but not postrock/postemetal. Is there something still interesting in this post for you?

I’d say yes, this post is still something you should read.

The reason? Because creativity is holistic. By learning how other artists work – even if they talk about something you aren’t directly interested in – you acquire useful experiences. Essentially, you can understand a little bit better how creativity works.

And of course, if you are a musician – especially a postrock/postmetal one – then this creativity insight is even more direct.

As a clarification before we begin, this post is not technical in nature. There are, I’m sure, many guides on the internet on which chords to use, or which riffs to focus on to make postrock/postmetal songs. I’m sure there are even more suggestions on what equipment to use. My focus is on creativity.

How to write a song - image of a guitar and bass — I just use this bass and this guitar to make music (plus free software). They’re humble, cheap, do the job just fine. Equipment doesn’t matter; ideas do

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Misunderstanding a Song – for Twenty Years

January 29, 2024

Experiencing, Society

art, experiencing, meaning, music, society

2 comments

Certain art forms are easier to “misunderstand” than others. That is, it’s easier for any kind of authorial intention to become something entirely different in the eyes (or ears) of the audience at a social level. Music and poetry are particularly susceptible to this, because of their abstractness. Misunderstanding a song is indeed hilariously likely, as today’s story should indicate.

Of course, the word “misunderstanding” is a little bit misleading: It is the role of art to be misunderstood. As I’ve stated before, to the extent artists have a social responsibility, that is to produce works that are interpretatively fluid.

Indeed, the story I have to share with you today is a marvelous example of a piece of art that escapes the confines – and control – of an entire society with hilarious consequences.

misunderstanding a song - image of a bass guitar — Song lyrics, if they are written competently, are not straightforward. They are highly symbolic and thus easily “misunderstood”. I’d say that misunderstanding a song is a key factor of its artistic capabilities

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