As artists some people will ask you to do some interesting
things. Hey, will you go to the nursing
home to take a picture of my mom? Or will
you draw a portrait of my dead dog? Usually it’s safe to just say no. Your
picture of their mother will look like their mom currently looks – like she is
dying in a nursing home. The dog portrait will look like a dog. It won’t be the
most stimulating thing you’ve ever done and you will probably not do it to
their standards anyway.
Today’s request was an interesting and heartbreaking one. Last
weekend a person was beaten to death in this area. The police need some artistic
help making a connection with some fibers and came to a dear friend of mine for
assistance (so, I got to help her brainstorm and give hugs). My friend referred
the police to Lois Gibson (http://www.loisgibson.com/)
one of two full time forensic artists in the state of Texas and someone we have both been to
workshops by. I really hope they can get what they need and this person can get
justice.
Previously in the week I did have a conceptual breakthrough
with the knitting I’ve been doing using sheets. Studies show that we spend roughly
one third of our life asleep. If anyone has had a visit from the Kirby vacuum
people (or done some bedbug research) you know that in every sleeping moment
you are depositing dead skin cells into your bed through your sheets. Dead
flesh. In Christianity if one follows the ways of the flesh will lead to
spiritual death.
The knitting piece I am working on this semester has a
working title of Portrait of a Family
Consumed. It will be a large scale hanging and will represent how quickly
we could become consumed by the ways of the flesh.
While it’s not offensive or breaking many boundaries (there
is no flaming poo, after all) it is honest and insightful - or will hopefully
be.
One of the questions this week was about what went through
my mind to get my failure/offensive art so offensive. The key was what wouldn’t
I create art out of? What would
offend and repulse me? One of the issues with my flag piece was that maybe it
was still too tame, and I didn’t push the boundaries enough. From then it was a
natural conclusion to continue with the flag theme and use materials that
repulse me. Like seriously repulse me. From
then it was a no brainer. The army men comment stuck in my mind about how it
doesn’t need to be about a bunch of army men.. so let’s put those in the pile…
and then it kind of became like a ceremony. I was walking through the house
collecting these items, and laying them out sort of in order and at hand so I
could use them when needed. Woodstock is an inside dog, so every time he goes
outside he tends to go strait to the right spot to take care of business. I let
him marinate in the house for a little while as I set up all materials and lay
everything out. I used my Nikon cool pix camera and set it up on a pile of DVD’s
pointed where Woody usually goes, turned the camera on and let it happen. I had
to choke back some puke several different times. At one point I just sat back
and watched it burn and was thinking about how this did not make me feel like a
good person.
It was absurd and profound all at the same time. I realized that if my flag art offends people,
then it is bringing their attention to an issue I care deeply about. If they
think some art about a flag is awful then they should really just think about
what it is our country is doing to itself and see how they feel about that.
This is something that I would never do, so in doing it did
I compromise my standards? Did I just succeed at another assignment, and what
happens if you don’t like my ‘real’ art? I want my flag pieces to have meaning and
substance outside of sensationalism.
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