Today was the TOK arts day and looked at art from a very critical point of view. In the morning, the whole grade separated into groups of ten to discuss whether given art pieces should be banned or not. These discussions were very interesting because everyone’s argument differed depending on the person’s cultural/personal background. Many of the art work generated controversies due to the relevance of private body parts. Furthermore, some issues about some political issues or cultural issues. These discussions made me think about the society’s rights to ban an art piece as art. I think that art should be banned if it disturbs the public or discriminates a certain group of people.
After that, I saw a performance by a Malaysian dance group and this thought me about the traditional root of dance and art in Asian cultures. It was a good opportunity for me to learn other Asian cultures than Japanese cultures, and I was able to compare and contrast the two. For instance, they both value showing respect to others and the perfect balance between the expression of beauty and power.
Lastly, after lunch, there was a discussion session with four guests and they were discussing the questions like “is natural art more significant than artificial art?” and there were a lot of TOK related prompt questions. They made me be critical about art and their power from a view point which I have never had. Therefore, it challenged me in ways to think differently and discuss with others with opposing arguments.
LO6 : Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
LO7 : Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions
