Final Project
For my final project I decided to use a combination of ideas and tactics used from this class. I would say that this project is a mixture of a walking exercise and a tagging experiment. I also took inspiration from the prompt for the third project in a way that I was causing a subtle disruption in specific places to awaken the public.
I chose to touch on the subject of our environment. As I was researching ideas for this project I learned that America is rated number one as top global warming polluter in the world. Additionally there has been a 20% increase in America’s carbon dioxide emissions. I got all of my statistics from www.edf.org which is the Environmental Defense Fund. On this same website I noticed a link that said “calculate your pollution” and out of curiosity I clicked. I figured it would be some phony website but much to my surprise it was part of the same site. I answered some simple questions about what kind of building I lived in, what kind of car I drive, how often I drive and how often I fly during the year. I learned that I create 4.2 metric tons of carbon. Although I know this was just an estimate the comparison it gave me of my emissions being the same as cutting and burning all the trees in an area of the Amazon the size of half of a football field. I thought this was really interesting. I was also pleased to see that I was far under the average American who creates an astonishing 9.44 tons of carbon.
There were several suggestions given to help cut back pollution such as energy efficient light bulbs and cutting car pollution. I found out that if you have to drive you should lighten the load in your car (which is something I can do—my car is a mess and probably has 30 extra pounds of weight at least), refrain from idling and driving the speed limit. However the thing that the website pushed the most was to not use your car. Walking or riding a bike can reduce pollution, save gas and you money. (On top of that it gives you exercise)
And thus my idea came alive. I wanted to thank those who are taking action against pollution and choosing to walk or ride their bike. I made several little envelopes that had “Thank you for walking. A gift for you inside.” written on them. Inside was a single penny. I know it’s not much but has anyone ever paid you for walking? It’s not very common. (and as my mother always taught me—every penny counts) My biggest question at this point was how was I going to target pedestrians? And then it hit me. Crosswalks!! So off I set, walking around town placing one of these little thank you notes on every pedestrian crossings—just above the button so they couldn’t miss it.
I know a penny isn’t much—but I am hoping that it will inspire people to continue walking to help preserve our home—planet earth.
I have included photos and map that is marked with red stars of all of the intersections I walked through and placed these “thank you” notes. And for some reason the map comes out teenie tiny on the link but you can still click it so it will take you to a larger version. Sorry– I don’t know how to fix it.
Project 3
I have to say that even though this project took me FOREVER to come up with a good idea—it is right up my alley. I chose a few different tactics all rolled into to one to portray my thoughts and ideas. In a way I think that this stems off of last weeks project because I would say I tagged myself with a face paint pen (except for my arms and my back I needed help with those ones). Then I utilized my favorite type of photography—self-portrait (hey, I know can seem conceded or whatever but being both the model and the photographer is A LOT of hard work especially when you only have a self timer of ten seconds to work with). And then I topped everything off by taking photographs of my photographs within a place.
As I said—this week’s project seemed almost impossible for me. I honestly didn’t think I was going to get it done. I started with one idea that unfortunately I just couldn’t really get into. I probably wasn’t passionate enough about it. So I gave up on that one half way through and just started writing and researching until all of a sudden I knew what I was going to do. It seriously just smacked me in the face and said “HEY! DO THIS!!!!” And that “this” was the topic of domestic violence.
This is a very personal issue for me and is one of my “soap box” topics. And I don’t mean personal as in I am or ever have been a victim of domestic violence; however, I have had close friends and family members suffer from it. I must preface my work with the idea that I am NOT being a feminist by any means. However, since the prompt entailed using your own body and I am female that is how I narrowed down such a broad topic of domestic violence. Hence, I used my female body as a means of departure for this assignment.
In fact, in my personal opinion I think that men are just as much at risk for being subjected to domestic violence as women. And even though the numbers for women are always higher I am a firm believer that men are even less likely than women to report cases of domestic violence against them and that is why these numbers between men and women are unequal. However, the one unfortunate thing (and I mention this in my images) is that domestic violence usually has a greater toll on women because they are much easily injured that men. And unfortunately the difference between a man not knowing his own strength against a woman and vice versa is catastrophic.
So in these images I tagged myself with statistics about domestic violence. I photographed myself in a way that it was clear that the person in the images is female but it could be any female. I then proceeded to make captions of what was written on my body to put below the photographs so that they could clearly be read.
I chose to place these photographs in locations that I knew they would be seen. There is a certain path down 1st avenue that I constantly see people walking on. I wanted to target pedestrians (especially those who are walking) because they are going slow enough to be able to see these images. Basically I just want to educate anyone who is willing to take a moment to stop and look. I know it won’t solve domestic violence but if I can educate even one person about this topic that I have made a difference—no matter how small.
The order of the photographs below is the self-portrait and then it’s location in place. The quotes are in order as they appear below.
“Women victimized by emotional abuse often suffer from depression–increasing risk for suicide.”
“Only 1/3 of cases of domestic violence are actually reported in the U.S. and U.K.”
“Sexual abuse CAN happen between married couples.”
“In the U.S. women are 6 times as likely as men to experience domestic violence. This violence is more damaging as women are more likely to be injured than men.”
“One in 4 women in the U.S. will be a victim of domestic violence during her lifetime.”
Infernal Noise Brigade Analysis
I loved reading about the Infernal Noise Brigade. I think it was particularly interesting for me because I was personally part of a marching band for five years in a row. Not only that but I also took part in parades. There is nothing quite like the feeling you have when you are a part of something like this. Now, by no means did the marching band I was a part of have the same purpose. We didn’t play for any cause like they did while protesting the WTO meeting. I think that this thrill occupies a certain private space within each and every person who experiences it. This includes not only the members of the INB but every individual who hears and/or see this band marching by. From personal experience there is something about a live marching band that ignites a tiny fire within a person and just flickers throughout the body and mind. I also believe that there is a link between the performers and the observers. After a certain amount of observation it’s like it consumes you. It seeps in through the pores on your skin, drains into your ears feeding your brain and pierces your eyes stimulating you. I believe it is in this moment that public space and private space are interchangeable and also when a connection is made and the observer becomes an active participant.
Another connection I made while reading these articles and watching the presentation was to a thing called flash mobs. If you aren’t familiar, a flash mob is a group of people that suddenly appear in a specific, public location and do some sort of random and crazy action and then vanish. Even though the INB isn’t a flash mob but rather sticks around and makes them seen for extended periods of time, it still reminds me of this because of the amount of people. Also, the way the article about the INB described the rapid growth rate of the group seemed significant in this connection. Finally, there is the whole idea of gathering to do something in a variety of public settings.
Overall I think there is something crucial to the combinations of sounds associated with the INB. First off, their band name utilizes the word “noise” which is generally does not have a positive connotation. But rather noise is something that is annoying and frowned upon. Yet, the INB is not just noise- it’s music. They are using something pleasing to the ears (and eyes even with all of their visual aspects) to capture one’s attention and raise awareness in a sense about their cause. I think that music is equivalent to art in that both are ‘performed’ in an upscale and generally high class venue. So for the INB to take to the streets seems as if they really want to get on a personal level and in another person’s space. I think this idea is a very successful one in that sometimes in order to get someone’s attention you have to make them slightly uncomfortable—aka—get in their space.
Style Wars Analysis
This was a very interesting film to watch. I have always loved graffiti and wanted to know more about it. Additionally, I’ve always wanted to be able to watch people making graffiti and the steps and thought process that goes behind it. So, this movie was perfect. I also got to learn a lot about the graffiti way of life behind the scenes straight from the source.
To start off at an interesting point there is a point in the film towards the beginning in which there is mention of exploring the tunnels with graffiti as tombs under the city. There is a sense of history down in these tunnels because there are maps and tags from when the first train line ever existed. There are layers and layers of paint making up the thickness of the walls. I think that even though you can’t see some of the underlying tags—they are still there and very much a part of this scene. These “hip-hop” graffiti kids are changing the face of the city with every tag they make. By leaving their own personal permanent mark they are reconstructing the aesthetic of the city. And furthermore, this aesthetic isn’t just a constant but always changing and improving in a sense. These writers are constantly trying to one up each other in the place, size, amount, and style of their tags. This is what makes this aesthetic a constant evolution within the city.
This particular ‘graffiti demographic’ is made up of adolescents and probably a majority of them are young black men. This culture is ‘bombing’ their city with their graffiti by putting their mark into their society. I think for them it’s a way of wedging their foot on the closing door of opportunity. I say this because without graffiti they may possibly never been known. But by marking their name or what have you—thousands and thousands of people are viewing it on a daily basis. The most interesting part of the film for me was the idea of these writers becoming famous yet no one really knows who they are. I would say that this act of writing your name in graffiti is indeed a form of control. This particular group really doesn’t have a lot of control in any other form. The majorities of citizens dislike graffiti and want to put an end to the acts of these kids. So in a way the simple act of it is what is keeping and gaining more control for these hip hop kids with each mark they make in their city.
Historically, this particular group of individuals that make up this demographic have had little to their name. This begs the question of if graffiti is an attempt at ownership. Personally I think this is a crazy idea. I don’t believe that it’s about owning the area being tagged but more of a way to get their name out there. Additionally it’s a way of being a true part of their society and culture they have created with these tags. I think that in comparison to Bansky’s work these kids are on a much smaller scale. I think Bansky’s work is absolutely brilliant. It is making such a statement. I say that the writers in New York are on a smaller scale because even though they are doing the same physical act, I think it’s for different reasons. Banskys is much more political and even more taboo considering it’s location. These kids in New York are indeed tagging on government property it is still a form of public property for the entire city to enjoy. Whereas the wall that Bansky utilized is designed to separate people. Personally I don’t think that these two groups and ideas can really be compared on the same level.
Honestly I think that stereotypes are ridiculous. Yet unfortunately everyone is subject to them and to making them. I think it’s a part of human nature to judge other human beings. I think that this particular scene is partly about breaking those stereotypes. There is a part within this film that mentions the makeup of these groups as being primarily young black men so when a white person makes graffiti it is very unexpected. I would say that these group members definitely defy societal expectations. I have no idea why affluent white kids are attracted to graffiti. Maybe it’s a way of rebellion towards their upbringing. Or maybe they just want to be different than their parents. Or maybe they are like me and watch graffiti artists in awe and then a little voice in their head say “I want to do that too!” But who really knows. I don’t think that there are any set guidelines to determine who should or should not be a part of this particular group.
During the film one individual admits to vandalizing but also says that it’s something that made “you” open your eyes and look at it. He also asks “what are you talking about it for?” Previously in the film one of these group members said he doesn’t do it (meaning tagging) for anyone else. He mentions he doesn’t care if people know who did it. These people only make these tags for themselves and other taggers out there in the scene. But honestly no matter what these individuals say I think that one part of them, no matter how teeny tiny does it for attention. This attention can be good or bad—just as long as people notice it. I realize that for the most part this form of art within their society is for themselves but the point of art is for it to be seen by others as well.
Overall I found this film incredibly interesting. I learned a lot about the society in which these young artists live in and how they are affecting it on a daily basis. With each mark they make, no matter how big or small, they are making a difference in their world.
Sounding Out the City: Personal Stereos and the Management of Everyday Life.
This article by Michael Bull dealt with the use of personal stereos within certain situations in everyday life. It discusses how personal music becomes like a personal soundtrack, noise blocker, or even a form of company on solo missions through life. It seems that people use some form of a personal stereo such as an ipod or other kind of mp3 player at any chance they get, whether it be during errands, working out, or roaming the local shopping center. For some people music is soothing and serves as a device to lull you to sleep and coax you through the night. Additionally music is utilized to wake you up and start your day.
I must admit that I too am a slave to these tactics of music usage. Every morning my radio wakes me up to start my day. I listen to it while I am traveling with the radio in my car. When I get out of the car no matter where I am going for the most part I pull out my Ipod to listen to as I walk to or through my destination. Often times I leave the music on when I take a nap or even for the entire night until it just shuts off from being in sleep mode. That brings me to another interesting point. The idea of a sleep setting exemplifies some of what Bull is saying within his article. We have standardized the function of the sleep mode into our stereos, mp3 players, and even televisions. We have been lulling ourselves to sleep with this constant noise until we are almost in a trance like state.
I found the part of the article that discusses the idea of music as background noise to block out the silence. The idea of fearing silence or even experiencing any form of discomfort due to it is just baffling to me. There is something very powerful about silence. I wonder where this fear came from for people since I would say that almost everyone has played the quiet game at least once in their lives. I distinctly remember being forced to play the quiet game as a child in school or other similar places. I would say that there are certain situations where silence can be one of the most powerful actions of a person or even a group of people. I remember in middle school people having “silent days” for some sort of cause. They would seriously go through the entire day of school and not talk to anyone. Yet another thing I’m not sure I completely understand.
The part that I think made the most sense to me was the idea of music affecting one’s mood. I can honestly say that I have certain mixes of music that I use for specific times of day or even certain tasks. For example, I have a workout mix, a homework mix, a relaxing mix and the list continues. It makes sense that my mood changes based on the type of music I listen to. If I’m listening to heavy metal I seem to be more intense and focused. I like to listen to this kind of music while I’m doing a task that I need motivation to get done. But on the other hand if I’m listening to relaxing music with a slower beat I tend to be more lethargic and like to lounge around. I like to listen to this music when I’m taking a nap or making art.
Overall this article on personal stereos was very interesting to read. It gave me a new outlook on my own personal stereo usage. I noticed my music habits and its effect on my state of being. I think there could be many great pieces of art made about one’s mood or emotional state based off of different types of music. I think a comparison of different types of music and the artwork produced from it would be an incredibly interesting study.
