----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Freelancer wrote: >..... >The biggest problem I have with analysis of another person's artistic work >is that very often others read meanings into a project that simply aren't >there. >..... Sometimes artists or other persons expressing themselves unwillingly includes elements into their expression they don't fully comprehend themselves. It can be beautiful, but also very contrary to what they set out to do. And make them very mad at interpretations and analysis of their work. A group of my students made a 30 sec video on womens need to challenge men, and set up a female student kicking a soccer ball against a wall of five male students. They were surprised to hear about their _anti-racist_ video, and after reexamining the tape they found in the middle of the human wall an student of Indian origin. The camerawork and cutting made him the focus of the conflict, and voila: the message was dramatically different. This is actually a case of bad craftmanship, but the same problem will often arise in cross-cultural communication. Others read your statements different than you because they _mean_ different things to them. -Is the solution to ban unwanted audiences from receiving your artistic expression, to water down your expression so all can understand, or to accept that others may have a different language and therefore receive an other meaning than intended? It could even have more impact than you had expected! Bjorn Aas, TV-lecturer Danvik Folkehogskole, N-3046 Drammen, Norway Tel: ..47 3283 1290 Fax: ..47 3289 1245 E-mail [log in to unmask]