"Open interpretation": the formulation of the problem Cover Image

"ВІДКРИТА ІНТЕРПРЕТАЦІЯ": ДО ПОСТАНОВКИ ПРОБЛЕМИ
"Open interpretation": the formulation of the problem

Author(s): Oleksandr Benzyuk
Subject(s): Anthropology, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Aesthetics, Structuralism and Post-Structuralism, Hermeneutics
Published by: Національна академія керівних кадрів культури і мистецтв
Keywords: interpretation; "open interpretation"; "open work"; "projects of postmodernism";

Summary/Abstract: Art of the end of the XX – the beginning of the XXI centuries, art of postmodernism and post-postmodernism is characterized by a specific system of world perception. The content and form of the art work in contemporary art is deliberately ambiguous. It has led to the situation when the text of the modern work contains a large number of potential meanings. None of these meanings can be dominant. So the text in contemporary art represents only a field of possibilities. The actualisation of the interpretations of the text depends on the recipient (the interpreter).U. Eco, a famous Italian philosopher, writer and social activist was the first who paid his attention to the issue of "the open literary work". Nowadays there is an insufficient number of investigations in which the specificity of "open interpretation" of modern art works, including Ukrainian, is thoroughly analyzed. That’s the reason of this research relevance.In this research, it is proved that the "open interpretation" is based on "the projects of postmodernism."The analysis of scientific literature on the problem of interpretation gives the right to ascertain that the term "interpretation" is formed as a result of a long and complex process of the formation of logical methods that have evolved toward to a consistent increase of the degree of their complexity from a simple description, explanation and interpretation to the clear cut logical operation. However, the use of "clear cut logical operation" with regard to the works of art created during the period of postmodernism and post-postmodernism (or postculture) is not possible for objective reasons, because it's a culture of "rhizomes" , which is characterized by the non-linearity, the absence of structure, multiplicity and discontinuity.The nature of "open interpretation" is a brief description of the most representative projects of postmodernism such as "textual", "nomadologic" and "schizoanalytic".The "textual project" involves (or includes) deconstruction, intertextuality, "pastiche". In this project the text is reconstructed into a structure so that its restoration in the original form is impossible, not important, unnecessary, because the recipient is given an opportunity to "construct" and reconstruct the text according to his own understanding.In the "nomadologic project" postmodernism refuses to consider history as a regular linear process and stresses the random, credible, subjective character of the interpretation of historic events. Therefore, it appears natural for postmodernism to reject the principle of the universality of the historical development of the progress idea.The "schizoanalytic project" is based on the tradition of psychoanalysis. Postmodern art explores and creates a picture of the world that is not "tied" to the rigid models, which means that the work of art becomes "open". "Open" works of art as if invite the recipient to create a work together with its author. A "modern text" contains a large number of potential meaning, none of which can be dominant. In this situation there is a need for an "open interpretation" that allows to expand the limits of the interpreter.