A PANEL of PRAGMATISTS quibble over pointless PLATONIC PERFECTION - BROLAB collective ; Visual Artists

HELLO , some people call me MAHATMA GHANDI ; I am a POLITICAL ACTIVIST ....

MY name is SOL , SOL LEWITT - I am a CONCEPTUAL ARTIST , by trade .....

HELLO , it is my pleasure to BE here - my name is JOHN DEWEY ......
YOU may know me best for my efforts at EDUCATIONAL REFORM ;
I am a famous PHILOSOPHER .....

and I am G. SCOTT LAMANNA , I will serve as MODERATOR , here ....


FIRST , let me welcome MAHATMA GHANDI ; SOL LEWITT ; and last but not least -
JOHN DEWEY .

THE topic at hand IS : BROLAB projects as they APPEAL to the COMMON GOOD .....
LET US consider BROLAB , shall WE - YES .


BROLAB.ORG is a collective effort , consisting of 5 men .
THE unit of BROLAB attempts to join SOCIAL , EDUCATIONAL , and PUBLIC ART into a new and exciting DESIGN application that AFFECTS the community .
YES - BROLAB is a five PACK of ARTISTS !
OR rather , should I say gaggle of ARTISTS ???

WE should address the notion of COMMON GOOD in the strictly PLATONIC sense , here ...

THE latest projects are QUARTER HORSE and a favorite of mine , called ; STACK and RACK ....
THIS should be right up your alley - SOL LEWITT ?

YES - IN considering BROLAB / STACK and RACK ...
I think that a CONCEPTUAL program is BEST ...
THE IDEA should function much LIKE A MACHINE which therein generates the OBJECT ...
AS to whether it is PRAGMATIC or rather in the sense of BEST for the GOOD ... I do not know .
WELL - SOL LEWITT , that seems paradoxical at best , vague in the LEAST ...

LET us hear from the 2 other panelists NOW ...

JOHN DEWEY and MAHATMA GHANDI surely you both have much to add to this discussion ?

JOHN what might you add here ?

MY name IS JOHN DEWEY , and I believe it is synonymous with my writing on ART as EXPERIENCE , as well as DEMOCRACY and EDUCATION ... wherein my belief is that ...
the public at large is passive until engaged by some COMMON negative externality ...
USUALLY by the STATE . SO the general good is usually dormant until ACTIVISM is needed .
Well said , JOHN ... perhaps you might EXPAND on that , if you will ?

OH , I see MAHATMA seems agitated ... excuse me , JOHN ?
ALLOW MAHATMA to make his point , here ...

YES - YES ... I concur that I myself am a firm believer in a PACIFISM of sorts ...
HOWEVER , WE as citizens must act out against unjust actions of the STATE ....
THANK you MAHATMA GHANDI .

WAIT - I AM NOT FINISHED yet , thank you ....
YES , MAHATMA , what is it ?

I firmly believe in an EMOTIONAL detachment in deference to DUTY .
WE are our brothers keepers , after all ...
SO , I must ask what IS DUTIFUL about BROLAB ?

WELL ; MAHATMA , I believe that as you may SEE , BROLAB projects engage the community ,
they PROMOTE interaction AND experience ...
BROLAB , objects ARE NOT utopian ; they are an extension of everyday life .

YOU mean to say that the community ENJOYS these things ; how is that PLATONIC ???

WELL , MAHATMA ; BROLAB projects are NOT platonic , in that sense -

OH , if I may interject at THIS point - PLEASE ...
YES , JOHN ; go ahead -

BUT of course , learning , ART and everyday life are but a continuum ;
THEY are not AND SHOULD not BE on a PEDESTAL ....
PEOPLE , the community at large , MUST be engaged ...
they must ENJOY .
SO , A positive experience leads to more learning .

thank you - JOHN DEWEY , for that eloquent interjection .

OK , THAT sounds all well AND good - and all that , however ; where is the IRRATIONAL ?
EVERYBODY here should realize that a CONCEPTUAL program is compromised IF things -
are ONLY rational ...
There is NO growth , no exploration ...
HOW is that for the general GOOD ???

WELL , SOL LEWITT ; you do make a point , that is certainly worth considering ...

YES , G . SCOTT LAMANNA ! I DO ...
OK , SOL - let us see what the others have to say about THAT ?
well I am NOT finished stating my point YET -
I think that BROLAB , is on to something here ; after all , the IDEA is paramount -
WHO cares about a lone prima donna ROMANTIC genius anyway ???
AS long as the idea is carried out WITHOUT compromise , A group of monkeys , may as well
DO these things - well , am I right ?

well now SOL LEWITT , let us calm down now ... ok ?

YES ; PLEASE calm down ...
there now , MAHATMA is upset - please allow him to speak .

I believe that the function of the STATE should be addressed in THESE proceedings ...
THE STATE has not been considered , yet .
THE STATE , should and must nurture the individual ... as of yet , I have not seen a situation
which allows such flourishing as IS necessary to foster the sort of growth , suggested by
MY esteemed panelists ...

Thank you - MAHATMA GHANDI .

I , G . SCOTT LAMANNA feel it necessary to summarize at this point .

I am beginning to sense an incongruence to these proceedings ...

WHILE , therein the panel an overall sort of PRAGMATISM prevails - I see a pernicious
SORT of non - cooperation and a seemingly INCOMPREHENSION of PLATONISM , poking out here ...

I see that MAHATMA , is visibly upset AGAIN ...

PERHAPS , we must take a break - OK ... LET us call it for what it is -

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

OH , HELL

QUIBBLING ...

AND SO , it is my pleasure to thank my panelists :

JOHN DEWEY

SOL LEWITT

MAHATMA GHANDI ...

AND of course BROLAB ...

THIS is G . SCOTT LAMANNA

LOST IN THOUGHT GALLERY