MMMM very interesting about genius in group. I don't think genius is
something which is a gift- it is something that one has had to work
for. It includes native ability- but maybe part of that ability is to
apply oneself in rapt attention for distinctive time periods. If that
is so- then genius in a group would be members applying themselves in
the same way, and having an ability to communicate between themselves
in a complex, nuanced way. Genius is something that one can achieve,
and it would be rare indeed where it is not the product of enormous
effort.
Jack
On Aug 10, 2009, at 2:24 PM, roger malina wrote:
> nina
>
> thanks for responding my suggestion that we discuss the issues
> around creativity
> and collaboration-triggered by simon biggs post below where he
> challenges the
> idea that collective or collaborative teams can display 'genius"
>
>
> "Simon Biggs" <s.biggs@eca.ac.uk> wrote:
>
>> Which brings us to your point about genius and the jump of
>> creativity.
>> Whilst I agree that creativity does not work in straight lines or
>> as a
>> coherent progression I do not think there is such a thing as
>> genius. As I
>> have already indicated, I have a lot of time for Newton's idea of
>> team-work.
>> I regard individuality as a contingent characteristic, preferring the
>> Foucauldian notion of the distributed self or Latour's of expanded
>> and
>> diffused agency. In these models the individual is regarded as an
>> instance
>> of the collective and enabled through that context, drawing on and
>> defined
>> by the resources within and without them (there is no notion of an
>> essential
>> or irreducible self - the self is more like a construction). In a
>> sense I
>> find it difficult to identify what is in and what is out. As such,
>> all our
>> activities are more or less distributed and collective in nature. I
>> do not
>> see how genius can fit in that model.
>
> I think that in this yasmin discussion I want to push the question
> of whether
> work done in collaboration can display "genius" and I think it can-
> if we mean
> by genius major work that is not incremental in nature but in some
> way recasts
> and raises entirely new solutins and questions whether in the arts
> and sciences
>
> what are the best examples we can cite of really interesting
> art/science/technology
> collaboration which displayed genius or really excellent work
>
> there are for example some very prominent 'couples' in our field
> where the work
> is really first rate,but could never have been accomplished without
> the team of
> the two people- these probably dont rise to the level of 'genius' but
> i think could
> be one line or argument
>
> for instance;
>
> woody and steine vasulka
> helen and newton harrions
> christa sommerer and laurent mignoneau
>
>
> can any one name other exceptional couples whose creative work
> would be unthinkable without their collaboration ?
>
> roger
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