{"product_id":"9781501310348","title":"Against Ambience and Other Essays","description":"\u003ci\u003eAgainst Ambience\u003c\/i\u003e diagnoses - in order to cure - the art world's  recent turn toward ambience. Over the course of three short months -  June to September, 2013 - the four most prestigious museums in New York  indulged the ambience of sound and light: James Turrell at the  Guggenheim, \u003ci\u003eSoundings\u003c\/i\u003e at MoMA,  Robert Irwin at the Whitney, and Janet Cardiff at the Met. In addition,  two notable shows at smaller galleries indicate that this is not simply  a major-donor movement. Collectively, these shows constitute a proposal  about what we wanted from art in 2013. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile we're in the soft embrace of light, the NSA and  Facebook are still collecting our data, the money in our bank accounts  is still being used to fund who-knows-what without our knowledge or  consent, the government we elected is still imprisoning and targeting  people with whom we have no beef. We deserve an art that is the equal of  our information age. Not one that parrots the age's self-assertions or  modes of dissemination, but an art that is hyper-aware, vigilant,  active, engaged, and informed. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe are now one hundred years  clear of Duchamp's first readymades. So why should we find ourselves so  thoroughly in thrall to ambience? \u003ci\u003eAgainst Ambience\u003c\/i\u003e argues for an  art that acknowledges its own methods and intentions; its own position  in the structures of cultural power and persuasion. Rather than the warm  glow of light or the soothing wash of sound, \u003ci\u003eAgainst Ambience\u003c\/i\u003e  proposes an art that  cracks the surface of our prevailing patterns of  encounter, initiating productive disruptions and deconstructions.","brand":"Bloomsbury USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47127165206768,"sku":"9781501310348","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781501310348_p0.jpg?v=1763708488","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781501310348","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}