Art, Product and Fan Involvement
What’s the difference between art and a product? Art carries a sense of immutability, of constancy and, in the case of a single artist, of personal vision and authorship. A product, by comparison, relies on feedback from an audience (or customer), on troubleshooting and on functionality as its chief goals. Is 2001: A Space Odyssey a product or art? Although Stanley Kubrick was somewhat beholden to Arthur C. Clarke’s original work, the book and film are entirely separable. Stanley Kubrick created a unique vision and tonality to the film that is entirely his own, seemingly divorced from any outside control or referendum.
Can the same thing be said for Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Without doubt, the film was far more commercial from the outset than A Space Odyssey, with lucrative tie-ins across a multitude of industries and countries. But was there a time when this wasn’t the case? Was there a time when decisions fell to one person alone in a room with a pad and pencil? Was there a time when the muse met the page, and ideas stitched together to form a narrative? And if so, what happened to that narrative, to that pure, original vision?
Well, simply put, the film became open to negotiation — to public referendum. Early teaser trailers of Star Wars: The Force Awakens were scrutinised by fans and changes were made accordingly. Producers would solicit questions and receive feedback. Fans became customers, and what was once an authored vision became a product, open to feedback and extensively troubleshooted.
While this seems justified in the games industry when focusing on bugs, glitches and overall playability, feedback has moved far beyond that. The much-anticipated Diablo 3 from Blizzard Entertainment was mired in criticisms when early screenshots showed a game that fans considered too bright and colourful. Frequent complaints launched at BioWare Corp lead to the company settling back into studios to make more “user-friendly” versions of their games.
While this impulse isn’t wrong, it’s important to consider the cost. By this I don’t mean the monetary cost. It’s easy to see why producers implore customer participation and feedback — it all-but ensures successful marketability and return on their investment. I mean instead the cost of creativity, originality, and to art. The common expression that a ‘camel is a horse designed by a committee comes’ to mind. By the process of referendum, are we turning art into anodyne and safe products? Are we sacrificing art for marketability? Are we dumbing down original vision for the safety of the crowd?
There is no shortage of blogs declaring the need to systematically build a fan base and network. You must collaborate with your fans. You must be transparent at all times. You must be dynamic and responsive to change. But what if your fans don’t understand your vision? What if you’re attempting something new — something that hasn’t been done before — and that criticism will only muddy the waters? Great discoveries often pass through phases on the way to acceptance and adoption. How long was it before people willingly allowed microwaves, or telephones, in their homes? In order to try something new, one must brave the possibility of looking like a fool. One must ignore the scrutiny of the crowd.
It’s true that commission works and other forms of public involvement have been around for millenia, but the best arrangements are those in which the artist is left well-enough alone. Pablo Picasso had frequent admirers in the cafe where he ate breakfast, but these same admirers didn’t follow him back to his studio and criticise each work-in-progress. Alexander von Humboldt had the generous backing of Frederick William IV, but the crown prince never let his personal criticisms stand in the way of Humboldt’s work. Artists should be allowed to make their art free from the judgemental gaze and continuous scrutiny of others. Crowds may dislike your art and prefer it a million other ways than the way you made it, but that’s fine. Because they can make their own art just the way they like it.
