Blog 5

DAWOLU JABARI ANDERSON

Frederick Douglass Self-Defense Manual Series, Infinite Step Escape Technique #1: Hand Seeks Cotton, 2005. Ink and acrylic on chocolate, butter paper, builder’s paper, and craft paper, 43½ x 33½ in. (110.5 x 85.1 cm). Collection of the artist
http://www.whitney.org

AARON YOUNG
“LOCALS ONLY!” (Bayonne, New Jersey), 2006. Bronze and acrylic paint, 42 x 30 in. (106.7 x 76.2 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Harris Lieberman, New York
http://www.whitney.org

DEEP DISH TELEVISION NETWORK
Founded 1986; based in New York, New York
Still from The Real Face of Occupation, from Shocking and Awful: A Grassroots Response to War and Occupation series, 2003–5. Video, color, sound; 28 min. This image of an elderly hooded detainee in a house raid by U.S. troops in S¯amarr¯a was broadcast by DDTV before the Abu Ghraib revelations.
http://www.whitney.org

Response: I find that all three of the works shown above are created with the idea or vision of changing or elaborating upon the views of social issues, identifying how the main stream notion of things such as war and race are not always as they seem. The first by DAWOLU JABARI ANDERSON is identifying how race has been simplified and made a commodity of social roles, the second work by Aaron Young works to both demonstrate and critique art’s capacity to aestheticize extreme behavior and the margins of culture extremism.  Finally the third work by Deep Dish TV is an open source t.v. network analyzing the mass media and advocating for grassroots social activism. In all three works the intent is to identify a social and political position with main stream ideas, and attempt to inform you of a different point of view.

3 Works by James. 

Riley, Maddi, and Emma. York Ne. 2010 

I chose this image because it reminds me of what its like to go somewhere and not have a care in the world, it seams to be something I have spent a large part of my life working back toward, although I may never reach it. The carefree moment when the world is there for your taking, with good friends and family to share the joy. 
Life at grandmas is always a bit more fun, less rules and more play.

Don't Eat a Pool Toy!

How do you identify with what your wife does for a living?  I know very little about the specifics of medicine, but still find both the notion of surgery and the equipment involved to be very interesting, for me that identity comes through the creation of images, one day as I was waiting for her to get off work I shot some photos through the door, this photo I find the most interesting. 

Segway Human Transporter. 
Confluence Park. Co 2010 

I find the irony of this situation comical, how as a society can we justify not being capable of walking to the park, or further not willing, we instead would rather take a form of transportation. I feel this photo comments on the mindset of America and our new found disinterest in exercise, and to some extent blatant laziness. (By the way this devise is $4,950.00 that makes all 4 $19,800.00 to not walk a few blocks.)