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Culture and Collage in the City, or “Landmarks of the Muses that Inspired the Music”
Whenever the opportunity presents itself, I peruse some of the city’s libraries, museums, or digital archives. Much of this visitation is focused on finding inspiration, but not in the traditional sense. Generally, we think about inspiration as a spark or a new idea. However, I am less invested in finding something new and more interested in remembering something I have forgotten over time.
This form of forgotten inspiration came to me while attending the Marshall Brown lecture at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. During the talk, Professor Brown discussed his process and methodology for creating collages that reflect the relationship between art and architecture. Drawing on the essay “The Ecstasy of Influence,” written by his interlocutor Jonathan Lethem, both Brown and Lethem unpack the fine line between cultural appreciation and appropriation and what it means to reference your creative ancestors respectfully.
