and that this might prove to be a useful advantage
Does "and that this might prove to be a useful advantage" mean:
1. "and that this is thought by commissioners to be a useful advantage, while it is not actually so"?
or
does it say that the writer himself thinks non-residency is actually a useful advantage?
I want to know if this sentence reflects the writers idea or the commissioners idea that the writer is opposed to?
Context:
As such it will prove largely nonsensical, not to say counterproductive, to ignore the specificities of the place that the artwork would appear to be about. What I cling to here – and it is in part a corrective to or defence of non-residency – is the fact that artists are frequently commissioned to make work for places and cultures to which they do not strictly ‘belong’, and that this might prove to be a useful advantage.
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 4
0
The second option is correct. You can cut away some of the stuff in the middle and effectively get a sentence like this:
"What I cling to here . . . is the fact that artists are frequently . . . and that this might prove to be a useful advantage."
I hope this makes it easier to see the connections, since the original passage is fairly long and drawn out. It's just a matter of keeping the clauses organized in your head as you read. See below:
What I cling to here ((and it is in part a corrective to or defence of non-residency)) <<<INSERTED COMMENT
is the fact that <<<FACT 1
[artists are frequently commissioned to make work for places and cultures to which they do not strictly ‘belong’,]
and that <<<FACT 2
[ this might prove to be a useful advantage.]
So yes, the author himself is the proponent of both statements or "facts".
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