“Two-dimensional artworks that represent human ‘actions’ exist. But are there any that represent human ‘continuous activities’?

 

To begin with, what's the difference between ‘actions’ and ‘continuous activities’?

 

An ‘action’ refers to conduct or behavior in a specific moment or short period, while ‘continuous activities’ can be described as a series of ongoing conduct or activities spanning a longer duration, incorporating a timeline into momentary ‘actions’.

 

Put simply, ‘actions’ represent instantaneous or short-term behaviors, while ‘continuous activities’ refer to ongoing or long-term activities.

 

Now, I'd like to explain to you the methods by which we can represent such ‘continuous activities’ as flat artworks.

 

For instance, what would happen if canvas fabric were stretched over the entire floor of a room and one were to live on it? As time passes, wouldn't traces of the person living in that room gradually be sketched onto the canvas?

 

Footprints might adhere to it. One might accidentally spill something. Damage might result from actions like moving furniture. Areas where items have been placed might remain unweathered.

 

With time's passage, on the canvas, the ‘continuous activities’ termed as ‘life’ of the person living there would begin to be depicted in concrete colors and shapes. In that canvas, beyond ‘actions’, more ongoing and long-term expressions would be depicted.

 

If a newborn were to live there until the end of their life, on that canvas might be depicted a human's ‘lifetime’ or ‘life journey’.

 

If it were allowed, setting up a fixed camera on the ceiling that captures the entire floor would add more interest to this expression. The live stream (merely everyday life), in which the artwork is gradually being created by the human living there, would be broadcasted.

 

When viewers watch the human(artist) create a piece over a long period and view their continuous activities(creative process), it is, in a sense, like a live painting and would be said to be a work of video art in its own right.

 

However, if there's an intention by the human living there to create a piece, the charm of the work diminishes. This is because, in this form of expression where human life itself becomes the artwork, living life naturally is the key.

 

Deliberately spilling something or intentionally staining the canvas is not what this expression intends. For the human who lives there (the artist), simply living their daily life in that space is the best expression technique.

 

Other artworks expressing such ‘continuous activities’ can also be conceived.

 

For instance, what if a canvas fabric was attached to a sandbag used in boxing and the like? On the canvas fabric, traces of punch impacts, sweat stains, and the like, over time, might be able to depict the human continuous activities termed ‘practice’ and ‘effort’.

 

For instance, what if a canvas fabric was attached to a wall in the streets of New York? On the canvas fabric, various graffiti, dirt, and the like, over time, might be able to depict human continuous activities termed ‘act of communication’ and ‘illicit activities’.

 

For instance, what if a canvas fabric was secretly attached to an artist's working canvas? On this added canvas, lines, colors, and the like, over time, might be able to depict human continuous activities termed ‘creative activity’ and ‘work’.

 

And if this piece earns recognition and becomes etched in art history, it might be able to depict the continuous human activities over a long time span, termed as ‘cultural inheritance’ and ‘history preservation’. In that piece, it's not just the expression painted by the artist; rather, there's an ongoing depiction of ‘cultural inheritance’ and ‘history preservation’ happening right now. Do you understand?

 

Numerous other ways to depict various ‘continuous activities’ can surely be conceived.

 

After a sufficient period worthy of continuous activities has passed, if one were to peel off the canvas fabric that had been attached in various locations to represent each continuous activity, and then reattach them to a new panel, art pieces depicting ‘life’, ‘practice’, ‘illicit acts’, ‘creative activities’, and more would come into being.

 

There's a chance the canvas fabric might become worn out, but the very act of its deterioration is in itself significant. This is because the worn canvas captured and visualized the traces of human ‘continuous activities’. Each trace represents a fragment of daily life, cumulatively shaping human ‘continuous activities’.

 

While it's ideal to transform it into a piece of art before it deteriorates too much, even if it becomes worn out, I believe we should treat it as a piece of art just as it is.”