Experimentation without Rules

What I got out of this week’s discussions: experimentation is both good and extremely important. Of course there are ton of different movements with in this idea of experimentation: Dada, Futurism, Bahaus, Impressionism, Cubism, Constructionism, Expressionism, etc.  What is beautiful about the experimentation of children is that it is a step further than all of these movements.  Those movements were made by adults who wanted to fight against the known classical styles of art. Children know nothing of classical art, what is acceptable, and what isn’t.  This gives them the freedom to truly express in a way that the avant-garde artists can only attempt to obtain.  The innocence and ignorance of children is their strength.

I believe that experimentation in the media-sphere has a few different purposes. I believe that it tells adults that it is okay to let go of all of the rules and lines they have created; they can return to a child-like state and experience the same feelings of freedom and pleasure that they experienced as a child.  This happened to me when I watched Duck Amuck. I remembered watching it as a child and the pleasure I gained from that cartoon.  I believe that another purpose of experimentation is to let children know that it is okay; they may be different than adults but in a good way.  The moral behind Gerald McBoing-Boing is that it is good that he is different than all the other children. Differences make us who we are and we should never try to change ourselves.

Last, I think experimentation mixed with a little imagination can allow children to live the lives they want to live.  By experimenting with toys, art supplies, and their imaginations, children can become anything they could possibly desire to be.  Even imaginary friends are just a way to experiment with social interactions.  In Sherlock Jr. a huge portion of the film is dedicated to a dream sequence.  The filmmakers experimented with their story telling and by doing so were able to describe Keaton’s character and his desires much better and visually.  This experimentation also showed how child-like Sherlock Jr.’s  is.  He may be a man trying to get a girl, but he also experiments with his reality through dreams.