Street Art

A photo from The Dirt Floor which shows photos of Sabo's poster of Hilary Clinton.

So I recently did a piece on Public Art and I was asked to do a follow up on Street Art and the differences. I was struggling to find any Street Art near me or even in NYC. I think that the reason is that while I now understand that Public Art is funded by the public and Street Art is not and often anonymous,  I find it to be just what it is. Art. 

Now that being said I've noticed looking at the different types of art and everything that Street Art tends to be a little bit more edgy. This is not always the case but it seems to me that the more funded art is just a little bit more family friendly. However there are a few subway art pieces that are a bit creepy to me and if I was a kid I probably would have avoided them. But art is supposed to invoke emotion so I suppose that it was doing its job! 

One thing I came upon one day when driving around Los Angeles were these posters of Hilary being presented almost like a champion. It also was asking her to save us. Now I have a lot of mixed feelings about the posters, because while I wish that Obama could have done more in his first term, he's not doing the worst job that he could be doing. For the most part he is being hindered by those in the house and senate.

The one thing that this art did for me though was show how unhappy people continue to be with the current climate. To me Street Art shows what the people are really feeling and voices it for others to see. I remember in an episode of Queer as Folk the character Justin (who is an artist) started to put up street art in season 3 (I think!) to oppose a very anti-gay candidate Stockwell. The posters end up working and in the long run the candidate is not elected. They show the candidate for who he truly is. 

I feel like art can change the world regardless of whether it's publicly funded or not. But it seems like more and more the art with the deeper messages are the ones that are Street and really speak the voice of the people.

What do you think?

Jason

Public Art

So this week we were talking about public art and how it can influence others to either create art or make a social change of their own. My friend Annie and I were talking one day and I told her that I had a photo project to do for class, but was unsure as to which direction to take it in. She had been noticing the brilliant art that was on all of the subways in NYC and we decided to make a photo project involving the art on the subways. We sat down and figured out which ones meant the most to us and how did they affect us.

Alice: The Way Out

This series we did was from Alice: The Way Out, by Liliana Porter (1994). This one was a big one for both of us because we both loved the story and also because I used to live at this subway stop. This stop is at Broadway and 50th street in Manhattan and I used it often. I can also imagine that this stop is used by a lot of families and the children who must walk by it I'm sure recognize the characters and are thrilled to have something comforting to look at while being in such a big scary place. (I know it was comforting to me when I first moved there and I was 18!!!) Also I really love the idea that Alice is back down in the rabbit hole (the subway) looking for the way out.

Artemis, Acrobats, Divas and Dancers

These were from the 66th street Lincoln Center stop. Artemis, Acrobats, Divas and Dancers, by Nancy Spero (2004) was another series where I had lived at one point in Manhattan. However when I lived there the art was still being put up. (It was completed while I lived there.) This stop also held a lot of meaning to use because we are both actors and Lincoln Center is a huge source of culture and the arts in the city. You have Opera, a Broadway Theatre, Jazz, Ballet, Juilliard and the Performing Arts Library all in one block basically. This is a huge deal for those who are pursuing theatre or performing in anyway. Annie and I have always dreamed of being on Broadway (and while my dreams have shifted a little bit to becoming a working TV actor...) and so coming to this station was a constant reminder that it is right around the corner. This art was constantly reminding us that the theatre is here and we are ready to be a part of it.

 Whirls and Twirls

These two are some of my favorite. They come from the artwork Whirls and Twirls, by Sol Lewitt (2007). By this point we were really excited about the project and coming up with ideas that could be used to help make a more cohesive art collection. This was one that we both knew of at the 59th street stop off the A,C,E line. It was one of those wall mosaics that was huge and you couldn't miss it, but also was so colorful that it always made me smile. This was a big deal when I was living in NYC because there were so many dark days that being able to smile was often a gift. Annie came up with the idea of using the construction paper to help add her to the wall. We had been finding costumes and props to use for the other pieces of art so why not this one? Because this wall made me smile so much I wanted to get a slightly goofy shot with her in the foreground and the wall in the background which is the first shot. But then as we moved closer I found that one level up there was this banister right next to the art and I wanted to have Annie go up there. This photo turned out to be my favorite of the whole day. After all we were just looking to explore and create some photo magic. But this photo to me captured how I felt in everyday NYC life. I was full of color and ready to give it to the world but trapped behind bars. The wall gave me hope that someday I could bring smiles and color to those around me.

Life Underground

These photos are from the Life Underground, by Tom Otterness (2000) series of sculptures. We found that we didn't want to be limited to just mosaics and wall art. Not that those weren't amazing in their own rights, but these sculptures really spoke to us. As it happened we learned on the day that we were shooting photos with sculptures dealing with union problems. This for me was a real joy to shoot since I am a huge fan of unions. I am a proud member of AEA (Actors Equity Association) and enjoy the benefits of not having to go to all day rehearsals without breaks, or fight for pay of any kind. Back when I was non-union I had to fight to get paid 25$ a week. Now I never got into being an actor for the money, but if I am doing a great job and hard work in a show then I deserve to be paid a livable wage. AEA helps negotiate the contracts which make it so that when I get hired for a show they have a minimum that they have to pay me. I can negotiate for more, but often I'm just happy to be getting paid what I am getting.

Memories of Twenty-Third Street

This series of photos were actually taken on another day, because when we were out shooting the other photos we couldn't find this piece of art. We had the hat and everything but we lost the art Memories of Twenty-Third Street, by Keith Godard (2002). When we finally looked it up and found it, it was too late to go back out and get the photos we wanted to. So we postponed it for another day. We actually were able to take the photos on the day before I moved away from NYC to LA. So this series has a sense of completion for me. We finished the task that we set out to do. That being said I would love to go back to NYC sometime and get my camera out and take photos with Annie at the other locations.

Art is often right in front of you, but when you are in a rush you don't often see it. One thing that the subway art did for me was make me smile and bring a little bit of life to the otherwise cold and empty subways of NYC. Don't get me wrong they were often full of people, but most people in NYC didn't take notice of each other and just went about their business. This artwork in my opinion helps bring a little bit of joy to those who have the time to stop and look around them.

Here is a link to the page with all the different subways and the art you can find right across the platform!

Born Into Brothels:Calcutta's Red Light Kids

This week I watched Born Into Brothels. It was a really powerful movie talking about the children who are born into Sonagchi, Calcutta red light district. Normally I try to avoid movies like this because I truly feel like what can I do? How can I help? And I was not disappointed. This movie was both motivational and inspirational to make me want to help out these kids among many others. But that being said I found myself unsure of how I could help. I of course have told several friends to watch it to help spread the awareness of the situation out there, but I found myself really hurting from watching it.

Born Into Brothels IMDB Page

I have often been called an idealist by my mom (and she says it with pride!) because I am a firm believer in the fact that if something doesn’t work then we have to change it. For example these kids are being born into a vicious cycle and, at least for the young girls, being forced into a life of prostitution.  I have always stated that if we take half of the money that we have in the prison system and poured it into the schools then we eventually wouldn’t need a prison system. It would eventually make it so that very few people have to be locked up because they are smart enough to get high paying jobs that can support their families and can rely on their brains rather then their bodies to make money. (That also includes robbing people with force.)

But for some reason people seem to feel like well you can’t take the money out of the prison because then we’ll have to let the prisoners out and then there will be a bunch of scary people out in the world. Here’s the thing. You don’t let the prisoners out. You keep them in and educate them too while pouring the money into the schools. Yes it is a hard investment and we as a society will be paying double at first. BUT then you’ll find after awhile that we won’t have to pay as much for the prisons after all the kids stop committing crimes. Also it costs way less to spend a little extra teaching children the tools to be a productive member of society, then to keep a man alive in a prison for his whole adult life.

This is exactly what Zara Briski (Zana Auntie) was trying to do with the kids that she was working with. By teaching them a skill (photography) and getting them interviews with the schools she was giving them a second chance. It was hard to watch what all the kids had to do to go through to even be considered. Like the HIV tests that they had to take. I’ll admit as a gay man I do often get tested and it comes up in my life more then I wish. While I am negative and safe because I was born lucky and into a family that teaches safe sex I forget that the kids who are born in the red light district are not always taught this OR more importantly might have been born that with the disease(s) already infecting them.

That moment alone in the movie made me really want to help out. But how can I help? I keep asking myself. If you go to the website http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/ you cannot only purchase prints of the photos that that kids shot in the film but also copies of the DVD. All of the proceeds go to helping the kids education and their well being.

Another two moments that really spoke to me was were the moments where the kids were brought to the beach and also when they were brought to the zoo. In this moment you see all of the kids being what they are kids. They’re playing with the animals and running into the water and al around enjoying themselves. You forget for a moment that they have problems. For a brief while it seems as if these kids are just kids enjoying their lives. As it turns out though in every interview that we see, these children are not in fact children or allowed to live out their childhood. Suchitra is forced into the brothel at her young age, and Avijit's mother is burned alive in her kitchen by her pimp. These kids also have no real hope to become anything other then what their parents are unless they get to go away to a school or get to go away period.  While I was thrilled that Avijit, Tapasi and Kochi make it out into schools, I was unhappy with how not all of them made it out of the red light district.

Truthfully though until we as a whole change how things are done this is going to repeat itself as a pattern over and over again. We need to help educate these you kids and make it so that they can live lives that they want to pursue. Not the lives that have supposedly been chosen for them.

Have you seen the film? What were your favorite moments? If you haven't then nows the time to pick up a copy and watch it. You'll be inspired to help!

Jason

Comedians Who Use Comedy for Activism

So this past week I was thinking a lot about comedians who have helped make me think about issues and how they affect me and others. I also thought about those who have helped me find talking points through humor. I'm a huge fan of debating things peacefully and with humor. When I feel attacked I stop listening to the other side of the issues arguments and then we're not going to get anywhere.

Now with comedians there is definitely an attacking force that they bring with it, but it is done in a more light hearted way. For example if you look at The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, you can see how they use humor to play on the stupidity of others to prove points in a political light. But the key is also that while these shows are very left leaning they also make fun of the Democratic party as well. It is not just a bash on one side kind of thing.

Then you have George Carlin. (Who is a personal favorite of mine.) He is way more of an "attacks only the opposite party" kind of guy. But again he does it with humor. And not just silly humor, but smart humor. When he says things he offers ideas or in some cases facts about what he is talking about. I feel like there are tons of comedians everyday who are helping bring to light very important issues through their humor. Below are two videos where he talks about ver political things.

George Carlin vs The Republicans

Pro Life, Abortion, And The Sanctity Of Life

Everyday we see comedians getting active, but I would say that we don't always notice them because they are often very funny and mask the message in the humor. What do you think?