Micah Sittig
2004.03.03

WU HUNG – ON RUBBINGS
DAVID CLUNAS – ART IN THE LIFE OF THE ELITE

Wu Hung's piece On Rubbings is the first chapter of a collection of articles collectively titled "Writing and Materiality in China." According to Lydia Liu, one of the book’s editors, the title was purposefully left short and vague because the relation between writing and materiality changes over time, space, and with the progress of technology. Also, writing and materiality change the very way we conceive of the passage of time, the extent of space, and the usefulness of technology. Wu Hung's piece speaks to this topic through his study of rubbings as material culture, the process by which they were made, and their value to collectors.

So the conclusion is that materiality is a conspiracy between creator and audience. And that we still don't know what art is, but that it shouldn't matter anyways.