There is no solution because there is no problem: proof for the sublime

Abstract

The broad question driving my thesis work is how can I combine my various interests in subjects like philosophy, literature, and material and then distill them into a pointed visual argument surrounding a common theme. The theme that kept presenting itself for me came from a biography written by one of Napoleon's aids. On retreat from his failed campaign in Russia, Napoleon in a reflective moment, exclaims, "from the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step" ("Language Forums"). I felt that there was something to his intuition about this relationship between the sublime and the ridiculous that approached similar questions I am addressing in my work. Authenticity, questions of aesthetics, narrative, and the everyday, raise visual inquiry into the sedimentations of expectations we have constructed around our art and non-art spaces. For this paper, I begin with a brief overview of my interest in the sublime and its connection to the ridiculous. Then, I take the reader through the exhibition to demonstrate the connections I believe were important for me to explore.