And so begins Term 2 of Photo-Media… After the stresses and strains of the first term, here’s hoping I have a relatively hassle-free period where I keep up a sustainable, productive and worthwhile body of work that I am happy to submit!!!
SUSTAINABILITY:
The above picture is my first attempt at a digital montage, it is supposed to be a comment on ‘sustainability’. Hopefully you can glean some sort of message from the unfinished picture… Set in a post apocalyptic world, I have incorporated an anti-Monsanto plaque nailed to fencepost that represents the corporate New-World Order that would have us believe that they know what is good for humanity. Coupled with the desolation and survivor dressed in combat fatigues, armed and wearing some kind of mask, this would hopefully have the viewer considering whether this is in fact true. The Masai warrior in the foreground is a representation of how humans survived long before the arrival of big corporations and continue to do so today, despite the best efforts of Governments and the like to destroy their way of life and assimilate them into their world and societies…
We were also asked to look into and research various photographers that deal with the world of ‘sustainability’ in their work. First up was trans-media artist Kim Stringfellow, her projects are said to bridge the gap between cultural geography and environmental concerns. She researches different communities or regions and then promotes discussion of the effect between human interaction and the environment with the work she then produces. These are usually a combination of writing, photography, audio and visual installations that portray both human values and political agendas that have / are happening within these communities and regions. Her projects include: There It Is – Take It, Invisible 5, The Mojave Project and Greetings From The Salton Sea. It was quite difficult to find downloadable photographs by Kim Stringfellow, but the ‘Salton Sea’ project opened the doors to pictures by other photographers including Amy Balkin a recognisable name associated with sustainability projects in the USA.
Below are some of the sourced pictures that I found to be an interesting take on sustainability, I especially like the use of recycled materials used in the Slab City photographs:
Kim Stringfellow – Kenney Homestead, U.S. Patent No. 1161706
Courtesy of: http://www.theguardian.com [Accessed 1 February 2015]
I like the juxtaposition of the derelict home and the estate agent sign being used in the window.
Elizabeth Daniels – A Slabbies Gallery.
Courtesy of: http://www.vqronline.org/ [Accessed 1 February 2015]
Taken at Slab City, an artistic community near the Salton Sea, poignant use of old televisions.
Peter Tellone – Ahhh.. The Comfy Couch.
Courtesy of: http://petertellone.com/ [Accesed 1 February 2015]
Recycled madness from Slab City
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Giselle Whiteaker – Untitled from The Accidental Sea.
Courtesy of: http://oivietnam.com/ [Accessed 1 February 2015]
More weirdness and recycled artwork from Slab City.
Two poignant works by Amy Balkin.
Courtesy of: www.metamute.org [Accessed 1 February 2015]
Another name that arose was that of bio-activist Richard Lowenberg. This radical thinker has been at the forefront of all things ecological since the early 1970’s and he is also well known for his pioneering multi-media work and experimentations. This included the seminal collaboration “The Secret Life of Plants” in 1976, where he recorded, via biofeedback sensors, the muscular and neurological signals from people and plants which was transduced then translated into electronic music, videos and dance performances. This is a man who not only thinks outside the box, he actually comes up with plausible answers to many of the ecological problems that we face today, as a visit to his website will show…… So why not check out: http://www.radlab.com/information/art-economics.html
Here are a few quotes taken from his website:
“A DECEPTION IS BEING PERPETRATED.
IT IS NOT AN OVERT DECEPTION.
IT IS NOT A COVERT DECEPTION.
IT IS THE EVOLUTION OF MISCONCEPTION.”
“AN INFORMATION REVOLUTION IS BEING WAGED
IT IS AN ECONOMIC AND TERRITORIAL WAR
BETWEEN POWER AND SERVITUDE,
BETWEEN HAVE AND HAVE NOT,
BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND CONFUSION.
CLOAKED IN DECEPTION,
IT IS WAGED BY A VESTED INTEREST IN NEGATIVE ENTROPY;
FUELLED BY A THERMODYNAMIC LIE.”
“ART CUTS THROUGH THE CRAP
IT IS A DEVIOUS MODE OF HEALING;
THE VOODOO OF AN INFO-CULT.
IT IS THE IRRATIONAL
BECOME INSPIRATIONAL.”
Secret Life of Plants.
Terrorism Billboard.
Artful Intelligence.
All three pictures courtesy of: http://www.radlab.com/ [Accessed 6 February 2015]
Photo-Media, Year 2 - Term 2!!! 