These are the workers - I'm not sure which one to print with the cops.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Conciliation Project's Genocide Trail: a holocaust un-spoken
A few weeks ago I attended a play called Genocide Trail: a holocaust un-spoken. The intent of the production was to inform people about the treatment and history of Native American Indians. The key part of The Conciliation Project is the discussion segment that follows their productions - there goal is, "to promote through active and challenging dramatic work, open an honest dialogue about racism in America in order to repair its damaging legacy." A note from the director said:
Jamestown, Virginia, the first English settlement in this land just celebrated its 400 year anniversary. This monumental time was the catalyst for me to direct Genocide Trail: a holocaust un-spoken. I feel this is a necessary time for reflection on and the conciliation of the relationships between the USA and the First Nations of this land we call America. In doing this piece we, the director, cast, and crew, hope to start a conversation about stereotypes and biases, in America, as they pertain to the indigenous peoples of this land.
We do this work based on the premise that we must first speak our truths and listen to the truths of "the other" in order to build relationships and understanding and therein begin to heal the wounds caused by racism.
Stereotypes, bias, prejudice, hate...in my opinion are byproducts of living in a society that is built upon the foundations of oppression and ignorance. Race is a social construct used to justify supremacy and privilege. Racism forces us to look at the "other" as somehow less than what we are. I am personally guilty of biases that effect my relationships with those around me. Sometimes those biases are the cause of the absence of relationship all together.
The genocide of Native Americans and the lack of knowledge that we have, as a country, about the conditions by which we claimed the land on which we stand, blocks our ability to accept and celebrate difference. The conversation is a beginning... what happens after that is up to US.
Generally all my work/readings thus far have focused on relationships between blacks and whites. I have very little knowledge about the treatment of Native American Indians, nor do I know anything about them currently.
The play was very effective in re-telling the history of Native Americans along with interjecting the consequences of that treatment. Native Americans were the first slaves of Europeans in America. But they were not good workers and unable to fight European diseases. There have been some attempts made to "justify" what was done, but of course, they have not been very successful, or come close to making up for the cruel treatment of the Native American Indians. The play was very eye-opening, and revealed a lot of things about whiteness and Native Americans in a similar way that I intend to do with my project. For one - Mascots for sports teams or schools. The Redskins, Braves, Warriors, Indians, Cherokees, Chiefs, the list goes on and on. Native Americans names are are also used for other things like The Jeep Grand Cherokee, a fragrance called, "Crazy Horse," and a way of sitting that we are all familiar with, Indian Style.
I have the utmost respect for this organization because I believe in what they are doing. This is exactly what I want to do with my images - create something that is eye-opening and revealing, and then talk about it. But I had some criticisms about the production for many different reasons. 1st, the play was way too long and the discussion time way too short. For something as controversial and important as the content of play, there was not enough alloted time to talk about it. At the end of the 2 hour production, we were asked to toss out some words of how we felt after the play. Then the actors wrote down the words, and acted them out, which I thought was unnecessary. We just watched them act for 2 hours, why do we need to see their interpretations of our reactions? It did not supplement the play at all, or ease the audience into wanting to talk about it - it really had no purpose. Then we were asked to talk about the play with someone we didn't know. I ended up talking to one of the cast members, but felt that her questions were rehearsed and that she really didn't give a shit about how I felt. 5 Minutes is not enough time to actually talk to someone about whiteness and racism. Her questions for me were, "how did you feel?" "were you shocked?" "what do you think?" But we didn't have a conversation about it, she just asked me about. I was really curious about what training and learning the actors had to go through in order to be apart of this organization. I think understanding whiteness is difficult and I wanted to know how they prepared for it. Did they have to read something? Who taught them? How do they feel about acting out a role of a Native American Indian, or even being in whiteface or blackface? Does it make them uncomfortable?
Our conversation didn't last very long, and then the actors were called back on stage to facilitate a discussion with the audience. A lot of great things were said, but no one had time to react to them - if they called on someone else, that person would bring up another point, but not one related to the previous one, so nothing was ever completely addressed. I was frustrated in hearing things that I felt were worthy of discussion, but not being able to talk about it when it was finally brought up. The discussion segment of the production was about 30 minutes, definitely not enough time to address a 2 hour play. I left the production feeling strange - not feeling satisfied, frustrated, and overwhelmed about the information. But I did appreciate the intent of the play and that an organization exists solely dedicated to understand and talking about racism and whiteness.
Jamestown, Virginia, the first English settlement in this land just celebrated its 400 year anniversary. This monumental time was the catalyst for me to direct Genocide Trail: a holocaust un-spoken. I feel this is a necessary time for reflection on and the conciliation of the relationships between the USA and the First Nations of this land we call America. In doing this piece we, the director, cast, and crew, hope to start a conversation about stereotypes and biases, in America, as they pertain to the indigenous peoples of this land.
We do this work based on the premise that we must first speak our truths and listen to the truths of "the other" in order to build relationships and understanding and therein begin to heal the wounds caused by racism.
Stereotypes, bias, prejudice, hate...in my opinion are byproducts of living in a society that is built upon the foundations of oppression and ignorance. Race is a social construct used to justify supremacy and privilege. Racism forces us to look at the "other" as somehow less than what we are. I am personally guilty of biases that effect my relationships with those around me. Sometimes those biases are the cause of the absence of relationship all together.
The genocide of Native Americans and the lack of knowledge that we have, as a country, about the conditions by which we claimed the land on which we stand, blocks our ability to accept and celebrate difference. The conversation is a beginning... what happens after that is up to US.
Generally all my work/readings thus far have focused on relationships between blacks and whites. I have very little knowledge about the treatment of Native American Indians, nor do I know anything about them currently.
The play was very effective in re-telling the history of Native Americans along with interjecting the consequences of that treatment. Native Americans were the first slaves of Europeans in America. But they were not good workers and unable to fight European diseases. There have been some attempts made to "justify" what was done, but of course, they have not been very successful, or come close to making up for the cruel treatment of the Native American Indians. The play was very eye-opening, and revealed a lot of things about whiteness and Native Americans in a similar way that I intend to do with my project. For one - Mascots for sports teams or schools. The Redskins, Braves, Warriors, Indians, Cherokees, Chiefs, the list goes on and on. Native Americans names are are also used for other things like The Jeep Grand Cherokee, a fragrance called, "Crazy Horse," and a way of sitting that we are all familiar with, Indian Style.
I have the utmost respect for this organization because I believe in what they are doing. This is exactly what I want to do with my images - create something that is eye-opening and revealing, and then talk about it. But I had some criticisms about the production for many different reasons. 1st, the play was way too long and the discussion time way too short. For something as controversial and important as the content of play, there was not enough alloted time to talk about it. At the end of the 2 hour production, we were asked to toss out some words of how we felt after the play. Then the actors wrote down the words, and acted them out, which I thought was unnecessary. We just watched them act for 2 hours, why do we need to see their interpretations of our reactions? It did not supplement the play at all, or ease the audience into wanting to talk about it - it really had no purpose. Then we were asked to talk about the play with someone we didn't know. I ended up talking to one of the cast members, but felt that her questions were rehearsed and that she really didn't give a shit about how I felt. 5 Minutes is not enough time to actually talk to someone about whiteness and racism. Her questions for me were, "how did you feel?" "were you shocked?" "what do you think?" But we didn't have a conversation about it, she just asked me about. I was really curious about what training and learning the actors had to go through in order to be apart of this organization. I think understanding whiteness is difficult and I wanted to know how they prepared for it. Did they have to read something? Who taught them? How do they feel about acting out a role of a Native American Indian, or even being in whiteface or blackface? Does it make them uncomfortable?
Our conversation didn't last very long, and then the actors were called back on stage to facilitate a discussion with the audience. A lot of great things were said, but no one had time to react to them - if they called on someone else, that person would bring up another point, but not one related to the previous one, so nothing was ever completely addressed. I was frustrated in hearing things that I felt were worthy of discussion, but not being able to talk about it when it was finally brought up. The discussion segment of the production was about 30 minutes, definitely not enough time to address a 2 hour play. I left the production feeling strange - not feeling satisfied, frustrated, and overwhelmed about the information. But I did appreciate the intent of the play and that an organization exists solely dedicated to understand and talking about racism and whiteness.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Anderson entries and other stuff
-I did not see the e-mail in time, so I did not bring my camera to the Anderson Gallery. But I made a stop at Paul's office to show off my three lovely non-accepted sheets, and an example of one of the works I entered into the show.
-I also received my postcard and they look like shit - so I am reprinting them in hopes of having something I like.
- I am in the process of creating a new set for The Workers hobby toys - I think they will work well off of the Cops. I have recently been having a difficult time with my series - I don't think people are understanding it or receiving it well. I checked out Taryn Simon's book An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar from the library,(I wonder how much "lost" books cost?) and have considered having captions to go along with my photos as well. But at the same time I don't want to have to analyze and contextualize each image for the viewer. I think the series would loose a lot of it's intent, because a big part of it is having the viewer discover the underlying whiteness for themselves. Any thoughts?
-I also received my postcard and they look like shit - so I am reprinting them in hopes of having something I like.
- I am in the process of creating a new set for The Workers hobby toys - I think they will work well off of the Cops. I have recently been having a difficult time with my series - I don't think people are understanding it or receiving it well. I checked out Taryn Simon's book An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar from the library,(I wonder how much "lost" books cost?) and have considered having captions to go along with my photos as well. But at the same time I don't want to have to analyze and contextualize each image for the viewer. I think the series would loose a lot of it's intent, because a big part of it is having the viewer discover the underlying whiteness for themselves. Any thoughts?
Lecture: Alan Berliner
Alan Berliner's lecture was by far, one of the best lectures of this year. In comparison to some of the other filmmakers we've seen, like Su Friedrich, I felt it was great for Berliner to show a full length film and not just clips. I remember being frustrated with Friedrich's lecture because she talked and talked and only showed 3-5 minutes of her films. The clips were very enticing, but of course, none of her films are available to purchase, rent, or watch.
Nobody's Business was INCREDIBLE. It was hilarious and touching - I had to stop myself from laughing for too long and from crying too hard. Berliner's father is such a dynamic and interesting character, but also relatable to many people in different ways. While watching the film, I felt like I was watching a something about my own extended family.
In my documentary class, I have decided to do a project based on my family heritage, specifically focusing on my Moms side of the family and my Nana. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania who, similarly like Berliners family, chose to raise their family in Brooklyn, N.Y. I was originally hesitant to do a documentary project so personal because of the stigma that comes with projects about family - I feel that in all cases where a student does something so personal, others have a difficult time critiquing it because they are afraid of hurting the artists feelings, and some artists have a hard time disconnecting themselves from their projects, which we have all seen many time...
Watching Nobody's Business completely justified my need to do this project about my history. I have recently been reading a book by John Demos called Past, Present, and Personal, which talks a lot about immigrants coming to America and the "central tendency" that “any immigrant to the U.S. would eventually gravitate to the center of U.S. society by adopting its culture and value.”
I believe my family is a prime example of this. When my Nana was young, her parents raised her Orthodox Jewish. My Nana chose to raise her children under a less strict faith, and my Mother even less. My immediate family does not celebrate any Jewish holidays - we, like many many other non-religious Americans, celebrate Christmas, just because that's what you do as an American.
I continually struggle with knowing that my family history contains a lot of culture and tradition that I know nothing about. My whiteness readings have given me a great understanding of what it means to be white, but at the same time, have made me feel cultureless. Whites (and I can't remember where I got this from in my readings) traditionally have a cultural history based off of the domination of others. To be white is to be privileged, powerful, and the majority. That to me, is white American culture and gives me no sense of identity or understanding of who I am. It's always a weird moment when someone asks me if I am Jewish and I say "yes?" because traditionally I am, because my mother is, but technically I'm not, because I was not raised that way.
I want to be able to relate to my Jewish roots, but at the same time not be Jewish? I am not religious by any means, and at this point in my life, do not want to attach myself to any one faith. But I think being Jewish is more than a religion, it is a culture and even sometimes considered a race. Berliner's film justified my project and made me not want to miss my opportunity to get to know my Nana better.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
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