9/15 Assignment

 Readings:

The Interventionists, Trespassing Towards Relevance

“In understanding why this is the case, it is instructive to look at the increasing growth of visual culture over the last twenty years. Could it be that the commercial flooding of the visual landscape has inadvertently led to the visual exhaustion of its viewers?”  

"Since Wodiczko’s Homeless Vehicle, many “mobile” projects have built upon and departed from Wodiczko’s work. Michael Rakowitz, a student of Wodiczko’s at CAVS, is the author of one such project called Parasite. Parasite, as the name implies, literally feeds off the urban environment. Using the existing HVAC air exhausts of buildings, the homeless shelter inflates. Rakowitz produced many Parasite projects in consultation with homeless individuals and unlike Wodiczko’s Homeless Vehicle, Parasite could be wrapped up into a small bundle and placed in one’s pocket. “ 

While the first quote stands in context of political art of the 1990s, I felt this line of questioning is as relevant today as it was then. With the influence of the internet, the market became has only more saturated with art, media, and news. In today’s world, we see so much on a daily basis, we become numb to the news we see. The second quote stood out to me because I thought this project was especially interesting. The concept of an inflatable tent that connects to a building exterior outtake vents was really genius to me. I looked the project up further, and it seems like it was pretty successful since in Chicago, they continue to use this project yearly. I found this incredibly interesting.

Understanding Patriarchy 

“I often use the phrase ‘imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy’ to describe the interlocking political systems that are the foundation of our nation’s politics.”

“Despite the contemporary visionary feminist thinking that makes clear that a patriarchal thinker need not be a male, most folks continue to see men as the problem of a patriarchy. This is simply not the case. Women can be wedded to patriarchal thinking and action as men.”

The first quote was cherry-picked because I thought it was a very fitting descriptor of how each form of discrimination affects our country, and how they each individually have their own power, yet relate back to each other. Patriarchy leads to capitalism leads to white-supremacy, and so-forth. This quote was very apt in describing this relationship in few words. The second stood out to me because it highlighted how women can be just as compliant with male dominance as men, and the author’s recollection of a childhood memory told beforehand works as a reminder to this statement. 

 

 Artist + Introduction:

Keith Haring has a distinctly recognizable art style that has been reprinted, repurposed, and republished repeatedly since his career began in the 80s. Particularly, one piece of his that stands out to me is one of Haring’s most iconic pieces: Ignorance = Fear. The piece was made in response to a lack of action in helping fight the AIDs epidemic of the 80s. This piece stands out to me due to a number of things. The piece contains Haring’s recognizable use of bright colors to draw attention, and has an interesting composition surrounding the characters. But aside from an art aspect, my favorite thing about this piece is the fact that the main message of the piece (Ignorance = Fear) stands relevant today, and can be applied to many causes today.  

I saw this piece for the first time when I was a kid, and the idea of silence being complicity affected how I interacted with the world. I like to speak up for what I believe is right, even if others around me would rather stay silent. The main idea that you cannot stay silent is something I strongly believe in, which is why this piece stands out to me.