|
Sarah Sentilles in Draw Your Weapons questions "Now that images can be used to kill, what does that mean for image makers?" As I think through the impications of this on drone warfare which is what Sentilles was specifically referencing I can't help, but think about how we now manipulate the images themselves, not only their interpretative context. Just this week an elected official shared images of a former elected official and his wife that depicted them as animals, debasingly racist. The images were removed from the social media platform. I then saw editorial images presented of this couple. They filled me with hope. And yet, it was the manipulation of their image without express, direct consent. How does the contemporary viewer reckon with the harmful nuance of each. The court of public opinion judges one more harshly and prasies the other; should both be judged? Especially when given the environmental impact and neural degradation of machine produced images? CAUTION: These videos use strobe lighting and intense flashing effects, which may trigger seizures in individuals with photosensitive epilepsy or cause dizziness/disorientation.
Two Edits, two different experinces, not because the image changes, but because it's context does. These videos are details shots of a Razzle Dazzle painting. Razzle Dazzle refers to the camoflague technique used to confuse others about the direction your ship specfically is heading and at what speed (another thing that Sentilles references in Draw Your Weapons).
0 Comments
 Bird Migration Map Screengrab from the Bird Migration Explorer by The Audubon Society
John Kelly, A FRIEND GAVE ME A BOOK (detail), 2016-2025, mixed media, dimensions variable, https://www.ppowgallery.com/exhibitions/john-kelly2#tab:thumbnails;tab-1:slideshow (Accessed Jan 16, 2026).
 A recent conversation reminded me of Otherwise, poem written by Jane Kenyon, in which she describes a mundane and beautifully observed day. The poem ends with the statement, "But one day, I know, it will be otherwise." Every day I hear of something that 2 years ago I wouldn't have believed possible. And while I can still observe the beautiful citrus of this winter season, in the way that Kenyon regards her peach, my delight in the citrus is now connected to concern, as the antagonism is extreme, and the danger is manifold and real. The violence is no longer constrained. While harm has always been present worming pernicious roots, entwining with language and system, it is now taking an ever more active role as participant. This means that my work as an artist, as synthesizer and interpreter, is ever more vital. I must remain diligent to the foundations of observation and reflection, beauty and knowledge.
In our latest Belonging conversation, Mako and I continue our reflection about the role of generative artists with Culture Care worldviews, and which direction meaning and making comes from. There is also discourse about ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic, as classified by the World Health Organization, with updates provided on this dashboard.
These are the stand-out reads from the last 100 books I read. "Stealing My Religion" is a studied consideration by religious scholar Liz Bucar of the ways spiritual practices are co-opted. "Rising Out of Hatred" illustrates just how important our relationships are in shaping our worldview. "The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion" by Beth Brower (of "The Queen's Gambit" fame), offers another compelling multi-part narrative of a young woman alone(?) in the world. While much attention is given to "The Giver" by Lois Lowry the entire quartet offers a broader consideration of utopian construction. "Sky Full of Elephants" by Cebo Campbell centers the narrative around the question "What do we owe one another?" And "All Better Now" by Neal Shusterman presents the next pandemic response. Each of these narratives explores belief and community, asking the reader to carefully explore their relationship with those around them and how tacit acceptance harms others. You can find previous book reviews here.
 At least once a month I gather in a Zoom room with other Covid-Conscious individuals and we do jigsaw puzzles, on a collaborative website, while chatting about all sorts of things. This collective action is vital for many reasons. One of which is that it allows for practice with solvable problems. Many things these days are immense and complicated. And if I meet up with others and we each move pieces towards their connected places, the puzzle is solved. Some people show up and just watch the pieces being moved for various reasons (technology glitches, physical limitations); this is welcome too. Community keeps the puzzle progressing. These collaborative efforts are a practice of hope. While the premise of a jigsaw puzzle is its solvability, it requires trust that all the pieces are present (easier to control in a digital setting), and that they will construct the image successfully. I highly recommend using the Jigsaw Explorer website to puzzle with some friends and "practice the scales of rejoicing" as Auden would say.
I recently learned that the Appalachian Mountains are older than the Rings of Saturn?! Which got me thinking about space, and spheres of influence, and specks of dust, and time, the rise and fall of empires, and so on. Additionally, now that the salt reaction issue has been resolved I am wanting to understand the directionality of the pigment post salt application. So naturally I construct multi-directional ovals that gather and overlap, bringing all the questions and considerations together. And while this does not solve the directional query it clarifies much else. What are you figuring out? What is your work showing you?
Music: Ólafur Arnalds "Awake"  The Strother School of Radical Attention wants your attention! They are asking all to consider just how much we have capitulated our vision and time to external sources. How might intentionality come back into the mix? What would it mean for humans to pay thoughtful attention in relationship to everything around them? While it is easy to set up a diametiric, SORA wants you to integrate and engage. Their upcoming book outlines how you can do that. Pre-order here. |
