Art for the Artful

Of what value is art to society? This question must be asked when contemplating the story of Station Eleven. To help me to answer it, I took the liberty of seeking professional guidance.

In Paul Chan’s article, “The Potency of Art”, art’s importance is outlined with the example of Homer’s Odyssey. Chan argues that art is the embodiment of the relationship between reasoning and cunning - cunning being the necessary tool to prove why reasoning ought to be believed. In his words: “Every work argues for its own right to exist on its own terms, typically by any means necessary.” [3]. My understanding of his arguments is this: art’s existence proves its ingenuity. Art has convinced society that it is worthy of existence, and therefore, we have something to learn from it. Convincing society that you, or your goals, are worthy of realization is immensely handy, and Chan proposes that the key to this lies in art. Furthermore, it can be a tool to resist being fooled by those valueless pieces who convince you of their pricelessness.

I found Chan's article insightful, yet it failed to fully convince me of its arguments. While the author gives examples of Odysseus' cunning, he does not link these to real world benefits of having been exposed to art. However, I will still attempt to apply his theory to Station Eleven.

Just as art plays an important role in the novel, so does manipulation. The Prophet gains followers by convincing them of the importance of his cause. This manipulation then gives him the freedom to do pretty much anything he pleases among his believers.

Can it then be concluded that The Symphony is immune to his charms because of their exposure to art? This may seem strange, but let me reframe the issue.

The Prophet’s philosophy is attractive because it gives his followers a sense of purpose. They believe that they have been saved because of some divine plan, and therefore their unlikely existence gains some meaning. The Symphony on the other hand, already has a purpose (whether helpful or not) - to preserve art.

As a peculiar constellation, visible only from Southern Chile, spells out: “You must stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything,”

I don’t believe art to be a bulletproof vest against the cons and cheats of the world, but in Station Eleven, it gives purpose and meaning to individuals who are starved of those necessities. Whether this is true of art as a whole in our modern world is another issue entirely.

Finally, I’d like to share a quote from the article that I felt rung true with our dear Station Eleven:

“For being exposed to art means, among other things, seeing all the wily and ingenious ways someone has tried to make, using what is readily available, something more than what is there.” [3]

Article: Chan, Paul. "The Potency of Art." Social Research, vol. 83, no. 1, Spring 2016, p. 149.

- A.M. Ham