Walk 6
For this walking assignment I decided to carry a small pink blanket and a stuffed animal around with me all day. I wanted to do something that appeared to be out of the norm; and for someone my age it is definitely a little strange to be carrying these items. Sure, little kids do it on a daily basis but not adults. I decided to further this experiment and act like a little kid when someone tried to take either object from me or if I misplaced it somewhere. So I gathered my objects and left to go about my daily business. I first went over to my mother’s place just to say hello. The first thing out of her mouth was “and why exactly have you become two years old and are carrying a blanket and a stuffed animal??” I responded with “no reason”. She gave me an odd look and we just kept on talking. However, when I got up to go use the bathroom she couldn’t take it anymore and had to know what my deal was. So, I told her the truth. Now that my fun had been spoiled here I left for my boyfriend’s place. Of course, I had my belongings with me. What was interesting is that he didn’t say anything about it but he did just give me a weird look. I decided to try the whole acting like a kid thing next. He and I left the house to go get some lunch and I purposely left my blanket and stuffed animal behind. However, when we got around the corner I started to freak out about leaving it behind. I kept saying oh no! my blanket! We have to go back!! Turn around! He looked at me and asked, do you really need it? Of course my response was yes! He had to know why at that point and so I told him the truth and we went back so I could experiment with the reactions of people I didn’t know. When we got to lunch I put my blanket and stuffed animal right up on the counter when I ordered my food and the cashier looked at me like I was a nutcase. I also got strange looks from other people in the restaurant when I picked up my belongings and hugged them intensely. I think overall it was an interesting experiment to do. I really enjoyed being able to act like a little kid again. It was almost like bringing it back to basics when all that mattered in the world were these types of possessions.
Critical Art Ensemble Analysis
The Critical Art Ensemble is simply fascinating to me and I have never really heard much about ‘tactical media’. And for some reason these topics are super exciting to me. I think that because of this class I can really relate to this method of working. I think that we are not really utilizing the technology we have today to its fullest potential. It is like there is this entirely separate and completely unused portion of existing technology that we can use to push boundaries, educate and voice opinions. I feel this is exactly what tactical media is and what the Critical Art Ensemble is doing.
There is an almost seamlessness in the different approaches of the CAE in the exploration of art within critical theory, technology and political activism. Upon reading about the CAE I became really curious about what their work looked like and really included. I visited their website and explored all of the different tactical media on the page. I absolutely love the Useless Technology newspaper insert. I think that this really plays on my thoughts about the use of technology not being fully fulfilled. I think that the idea of technology that has no function but to exist is comical but is also a very true thing. I think that we have created all of these gadgets and technologies just purely to have created them and to have them in our daily lives.
I think that this quote is very interesting: “Tactical media is ephemeral. It leaves few material traces. As the action comes to an end, what is left is primarily living memory.” This makes perfect sense since tactical media utilizes technology like television and radio or even mass media production like newspapers and pamphlets. And even though there is an existence that is in some way traceable it is so minute that it fades away over time. I like to think that tactical media pieces are almost like a ‘hit and run’—it’s quickly there and then it’s quickly gone. It is ‘in the moment’. I think that this quote and idea becomes even more interesting because I can relate it back to the first project of this class—the ephemeral site project inspired by Goldsworthy. It really opens up my eyes to the fact that there is a great multiplicity to this type of working. It can be more of Earth works like Goldsworthy or like the tactical media of the Critical Art Ensemble.
I find it odd however, that the Critical Art Ensemble did not want to be named. I understand that naming something is like branding or creating boundaries but it is also what distinguishes one great work or group from another. I think that it is important that in order to be accredited to such monumental ideas and practices that there be something to link it to. Obviously they did come up with a name, I just find it weird that they didn’t want one to begin with. I also didn’t quite understand the comparison to the Avant Garde movement. The article spoke about how it ended; but doesn’t everything have to come to an end at some point in time? But I don’t really think that it is considered an end but more of a beginning to something else far greater than could be imagined.
Infernal Noise Brigade Analysis
Reading about the INB again really got me thinking about the ideas of private and public space. Where exactly is that line? In the first article, Jennifer Whitney talked about the band’s experience in the local Starbucks as the band’s first ‘act of mischief’. This peaked my curiosity about this topic because although I understand why it would be considered mischief, Starbucks is a public place where many people go. There is this weird line, because the store itself is private property and there is the right to refuse service to anyone but then again it is in a very public atmosphere and anyone and everyone belongs there. People spend endless hours just sitting in the coffee shop long after their cups are empty but I suppose this is part of what a coffee shop is for. But I also can’t help but think about how many coffee shops have live music performances. This got me even more interested because that is essentially what the INB is if you reduce it down to its most simplistic form—music performance. So if there is other music played in these private/public spaces, what is the difference of the INB? I also realize that there is a stylistic difference between the INB and other coffee shop type music—but is it just because it isn’t planned that it’s not accepted? And what about in the streets? Streets are public property. Anyone can walk on them. Sure, store owners can ask people who are outside of their store to relocate if they are doing something that detracts from the environment of the store—but you can’t exactly tell someone that they can’t be on the public street. So what is it about the INB that tends to be unaccepted? What is the difference between the INB and any other marching band—on the surface anyway? Is it the level of planning? If the members of the INB scheduled a time to go play in a public place would they be sentenced with tear gas? I personally think that that would defeat the purpose of the INB but it is an interesting concept to think about.
I really think that it is essential that the INB performs in these public spaces because it allows viewers to not only observe but participate. I think that with this in your face approach allows for this participation. After the shock value of holy cow there is an entire marching band inside Starbucks—one can’t help but to dance or at least bop their head along with the music. I think that this public space is also important in the sense of how it differentiates the INB from any other band that plays on a stage. With those types of band performances, people must choose to go listen and are strictly an observer. In these auditoriums there is a line that separates the performers and the public in which it is frowned up if it is crossed. However, with the INB there is no boundary. Anything goes. These band members are literally standing right next to the people of the public they are performing for. This transforms the public from a pure observer to an active participant in the experience. And there is of course the always that completely unexpected aspect of having a full on marching band in a place you wouldn’t dream of. I think that once these viewers get over the shock value of what the INB presents in their daily life they really have the ability to become part of their performance.
Although I liked having multiple sources to learn about the INB and this type of performance I really disliked the article “Affective Composition and Aesthetics: On Dissolving the Audience and Facilitating the Mob”. I think that articles like this that are overly wordy with highly technical words really just don’t seem worth it to me. It often times is covering a topic that is not really that complicated but with word choice and sentence structure combined it is over-done. It’s like trying to teach a child to tie his or her shoes but using words and complicated structures that are beyond their capacity. I understand that there may be some really great point being made or that I can learn a lot from them—but when I have to work unbelievably hard to get a surface understanding of these points I get frustrated. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent and well read individual but there was something about this article that just irritated me to death to read. I think it has something to do with the act of having to practically translate each sentence into something I can understand a little better and then having to go back and relate all of these sentences to each other to really get the meaning of the article. It downright pisses me off. But I’m over it now.
The concept of aesthetic politics is a rather interesting one to me. I have never really thought about an aesthetic based on experiences and processes rather than content and artistic composition. I think that this is what the INB focuses on and successfully creates this space in which the ‘art of politics’ can be pursued. The INB using these spaces is what allows them to not only get their point across but also the involvement of the public is enhancing the aesthetic of politics by guiding or allowing these connections and discussions of the communities in which they perform. I think that this is really only the jumping off point for the INB—I think that even after they have left of space their thoughts and purpose still linger, possibly forever. Those people that had the chance to experience what the INB has to offer will always remember it and then they will pass it on to those who weren’t there and so on. This is a lasting effect.
After viewing and reading all of these sources on this topic I can’t help but wonder what kinds of different things can be done to enhance the whole purpose further. In the first article there is the reference of the warrior type song when the INB was being gassed. This makes me wonder what other situations could relate to their possibly music choice. Could they say different things with different types of music? Overall, I just wish I could have experienced the INB in the flesh—maybe I’ll see something similar someday.
Revisiting my tags
I wound up having some time to revisit a few of my tags. The ones on the tables had been washed away. Some of them had been stepped on. And the others literaly looked like they just seeped into the surface.
Walk 6
For this walking exercise I decided to consult the wisest man I know, my Grandpa. I figured he has experienced so much in his lifetime that he would be the best source for inspiration on my walk. He has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and is responding well to treatment so far but of course this news in life is never great news. In the era in which he smoked it was not common knowledge that smoking was bad for you and could cause cancer. Not like it is today. So I walk in his name, in his cause, to make sure that there is never too much information about the harms of smoking. I went around to areas where I could find cigarette butts or evidence of people smoking. I think that it is in early adulthood that most people pick up the habit of smoking so this is the culture I targeted. Most of my images are taken around campus because of this. I left statistics about smoking and lung cancer in ashtrays, designated smoking areas or anywhere I found a decent amount of evidence of smokers.
These are some of the statistics in the notes I left behind. I did leave others but did not document every single card. These facts are quoted mostly from the year 2005 which is the most recent year in which these statistics were populated.
The majority of lung cancer patients are diagnosed so late that they will die within a year.
Lung cancer will kill an average of 439 people a day.
Over 60% of new lung cancer cases are never smokers or even former smokers of whom quite decades ago.
In 2005, lung cancer acounted for more deaths than breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer combined.
In 2005, 90,139 men and 69,078 women died from lung cancer.
The cost of treating lung cancer in the U.S. in 2004 was about $9.6 billion per year.
Only 16% of lung cancer is being diagnosed at its earliest and most curable stage.
Style Wars Analysis
I always find it interesting the differences and new things you see in a film once you have watched it a few times. This was possibly my third time watching Style Wars and I still find it interesting to watch and I take new meanings from it each time. I think it depends on where I am on my own personal journey and so many other factors in my life.
I believe that these “hip-hop” kids are a crucial part of the city. They are important to not only to culture but also to its aesthetic. I suppose in their eyes the world around them is like a blank slate or even a place to build upon. It is through their graffiti bombing that they are changing or resurfacing their surroundings. Although many individuals of society think that what these kids are doing is unthinkable, it is clearly everything to those who make these markings. It is their way of expressing their aesthetic values. These values are taking those of previous graffiti bombers that exist deep down in the tunnels of the city and changing them to suit their needs, whether it to be to deliver a positive note or to duel in a graffiti bombing war. No matter what the specific reason, there is always a purpose for these kids, although invisible to the authorities and elders of the area.
This culture of these graffiti bombers is definitely considered as a powerless demographic. And it is among the rest of society that these kids remain powerless. As I previously said, the rest of society doesn’t typically care for the graffiti. There are individuals who find it wrong and “disgusting” in a manner of speaking. It is most likely this disdain for the graffiti that makes the bombers do it even more. However this is not the core reason that this culture does what it does. They describe it as getting their name out there and “going all city”, which to them is one of the highest achievements. This act of putting their name on every available surface is a way of remapping their surroundings and is an attempt to take control of them as well. Although, graffiti isn’t the only way the hip-hop culture bombs the city. Break dancing is also a form of self expression for this group of individuals. It is expression in a different sense however. Rather than leaving their mark literally on society through graffiti, they are using their bodies as a way to express their individuality.
There begs the question if graffiti is an attempt at ownership; however I don’t feel that this is the case. These graffiti bombers don’t necessarily want to “own” the city in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, they want to leave their mark as being part of society. As I stated before, these kids want to “go all city” meaning that they want their name to be all over the city so that everyone around sees it on a daily basis and knows it well. They are literally writing their name on everything they can get their hands on in this attempt. I think it is a different interpretation of the idea of owning something. I think they just want a space to belong or to exist within a society which would otherwise gobble them up and look them over if it was not for these tags everywhere within their space.
There is a point in the film in which one of the graffiti bombers says “yeah, I vandalism (sic), but I did something to make your eyes open up, right? So what are you talking about it for?” Society is telling him that what he does is vandalism, is a crime, and is wrong but this attention to his work just validates everything he does. He wants his name to be out there. He wants people to recognize and remember. The very act of putting his name on things is making people aware of his existence. I think it is this very recognition that legitimizes his acts of “vandalism”.
I think one of the most interesting aspects of this film is watching and listening to the white kids participating in these graffiti bombing acts. I think that what they say is very true. There is definitely a stereotype that a kid who is black or latino or basically any other race than white, with some spray paint cans is definitely up to no good. I think that these affluent white kids are attracted to graffiti for a few reasons. Maybe they want to rebel? Maybe they want to break the norms? It is interesting because they do the very same thing that the other graffiti bombers in the film do – yet they seem to be out of place in the mold that society creates. I think that it is just as likely for a young white man to be a graffiti bomber as it is for any other race.
I think the gallery scene is almost sad in a way. Although I am sure that more people would approve of this type of graffiti it just is not the same to me. I feel that there is something about the place that graffiti is done that adds the most importance. There is nothing quite like seeing graffiti on a wall or a train. Graffiti on a canvas is not really graffiti in my opinion. It is a graffiti style, yes. But I think that the site or location of graffiti is what validates it and distinguishes it from this “style” that mimics actual graffiti. I also don’t think that there is the same amount of feeling or passion with graffiti on a canvas. Maybe it isn’t necessarily amount, however. I think it is just a different type of passion. For the graffiti bombers it is about getting their name out there and being known. For artists who paint graffiti on canvas, it is still about being known, but it is more for fame and money. I think the other reason that graffiti on a canvas just isn’t the same is because anyone can purchase it. No one can go out and say I want to buy that wall, or that train car and put it in my living room. Although graffiti on a canvas does have it’s place in society it is just not equivalent to that of the graffiti bombers.
Interesting Discovery
I have made a very interesting discovery that does pertain to the process of my third project. I have a printed out copy of the syllabus that I have been going off of for this class rather than viewing everything on the computer. Well this includes all of the sources of inspiration and investigation for each assignment. When I investigated the suggestions for the third project I did not go into discussion and click on the links–I went off the printed syllabus and searched for them by name. Thus I came across an entirely different piece called The Walking Project.
http://www.thewalkingproject.net/
Interestingly enough, this project does deal with mapping, interaction, and performance. So I had no idea I was looking at the “wrong” source for inspiration. Hopefully this helps people understand my thought process on this project a little more.
I do however feel that the majority is taking this prompt way to literally. As far as the comments about public performance – this doesn’t mean you have to make a scene. The prompt outright says with or without spectale to disrupt. And no where in the prompt does it say you must choose a controversial topic such as racism, gang violence, body image, weapon bans, legalization of drugs, death penalty, etc. That’s not to say it can’t be and I do personally think that those projects that do are more successful.
That brings me to my next thought– there is a difference between fulfilling a requirement and being unsuccessful. I think that the concepts of my project were fulfilling the assignment- they just weren’t very strong – hence I feel my project was unsuccesful – I will be the first to admit that.
I hope that the link I provided has shed some light on my process. I was completely unaware that I was not looking at the proper source but I do think that it is a happy accident because I discovered a new way of mapping. It is something that I am interested in – this thought of letting go of ourselves and being controlled by another being. My premise for this assignment was to bring awareness to that we are often stuck in a way of thinking. I used the example of Arizona as my device to experiment with the idea that being controlled by another individual might allow us to be stripped of our judgements and awake in our minds a new way of thinking. However it seems that I was obviously not clear enough with this premise. I wish I had been able to expose this project to more than just my mother – as I mentioned in my statement I wanted multiple people to be able to login and “control” me or maybe create a booth – but there were unfortunate limitations like time. I think that having a booth is involving the public more as it would be complete strangers participating in this performance and would really like to investigate this idea further.
I am just glad that I figured out the whole source discrepancy. It makes some of the comments and critiques make a little more sense now.
Project 3
Yet again this project was a tad bit difficult for me to fully realize as it was last year. There is something about the prompt that just befuddles my mind. After spending a great deal of time looking at all of the references from the syllabus for this class I couldn’t help but continuously going back to The Walking Project. There is something about it that just fascinates me. I decided that this project would be the inspiration for my own—but how would I make it different and how would I adapt it to my limitations?
I decided to use the similar tactic of tracking my location via a gps tracking device in my Blackberry. This allows for people to log into an account online and view my location and my movements. My first limitation with this idea arrived with the inability to find enough people to participate or even one person to run a sort of monitoring booth—but I worked with what I could get.
After I worked out the method in which I would conduct this project I had to think about what I was going to do exactly and for what reason. I kept thinking about the place that I am in: Tucson, Arizona. Most people who aren’t from around here seem to highly dislike this place. It is conceived as the bottom of the barrel and a generally undesirable place. I decided to show that Arizona is not such a bad place and that there are some people out there in the world who actually do enjoy living here.
However, is it possible that if someone directs us from a separate location we can see things in a new light? If our own judgments are removed from our will and if we are at the will of another individual could our minds be changed? Can we as humans let go of our preconceived notions about something? I chose to experiment with this idea with my mother, who has recently moved away to California after living here in Arizona for 19 years. She misses Arizona terribly and still hasn’t adjusted to her new location; although she was born and raised in California. This just shows you that not everyone hates Arizona or Tucson for that matter.
I instructed my mom to log in to an account so that she could monitor my moves via my Blackberry. I really gave her no specific instructions but rather I just told her to direct me around the area, telling me where to go and when to take a picture. I also told her that if she saw fit she could tell me to find something specific to take a picture of whether it be an object, a place, a color—pretty much anything she wanted. I told her to email me my instructions and I would follow along as she guided me through my path.
I let her guide me around for a good hour and a half—until I had almost no light left. It was an interesting feeling to wander around aimlessly. Usually when I go out on these types of walks I have a purpose in mind. However this time I was in someone else’s hands with their purpose in mind—in their mind anyway.
The following images are those that I took on my journey. I have included some of the maps being created by my paths as well. I discovered that it may be possible to let go of your own ideas and follow those of someone else. I think that this project was a great experiment with this whole idea but I would love to do something like it again with people I don’t know controlling me. I think that the bond I have with my mother may inhibit the outcome more than it would with strangers. Overall I think that this journey and this process opened my eyes to an unlimited source of mapping techniques. Moreover, I hope that people who view this realize that there is beauty in seemingly dull places, you just have to allow someone else show you how to look for it.
