This is Violence

Are LOLCats and Internet Memes Art? | Idea Channel | PBS (by pbsideachannel)

The connection to Warhol I think is the most apt, but you could certainly add Koons to that list too, no? And I guess not surprisingly, the closer to now the historical references are, the more they connect, given that - assuming, as I do - memes (thinking about this now thought, I’m not sure that “meme” is right word. Meme’s aren’t really a new thing - some would suggest, and I would agree, that memes are part and parcel to humanity and have always existed - but specific tactics (like, say, image macros) seem too small so I guess I’ll just keep the video’s definition of “internet meme” as a catch all) are art, they’re art about society right that is also constructed in a way that reflects society right now.

Regardless, this is pretty terrific.

“An ad that pretends to be art is — at absolute best — like somebody who smiles warmly at you only because he wants something from you. This is dishonest, but what’s sinister is the cumulative effect that such dishonesty has on us: since it offers a perfect facsimile or simulacrum of goodwill without goodwill’s real spirit, it messes with our heads and eventually starts upping our defenses even in cases of genuine smiles and real art and true goodwill. It makes us feel confused and lonely and impotent and angry and scared. It causes despair.”

-David Foster Wallace (via graceyu)
So gorgeous.

From Engadget:“An art / craft project by German designer Maria Fischer, it’s called Thoughts on Dreams, it contains threaded ‘hyperlinks’ which are there to help guide the reader to links between important passages.”

So gorgeous.

From Engadget:
“An art / craft project by German designer Maria Fischer, it’s called Thoughts on Dreams, it contains threaded ‘hyperlinks’ which are there to help guide the reader to links between important passages.”