The Registered Blackboard

I’ve been meaning to write about this for a few days, but time has been rare and elusive.

A good friend of mine from Barcelona, artist Ruben Verdu, has created an art project dealing with pedagogy, language,  trademarks and trademark law. Not being one for literal approaches to the creation and dissemination of meaning, Verdu wonders if the registration of a word as a trademark anchors its meaning to a “proper usage.” One thing I like about this project is that it highlights the differences between art and law when it comes to the use of language and production of meaning. This latter point is frequently missed, and misunderstood, by artists, especially when it comes to words such as authenticity, originality, creativity, fixation, and idea.

Registered Blackboard, An Exercise In Tautology. Ruben Verdu.

I’m going to contact Ruben and see if I can get him to expound on this idea. For now, take a look at the image of his Registered Blackboard. What do you think?