“Style Wars” a 1983 film/documentary gives a view into the world of NYC graffiti and the hip-hop subculture that surrounds it. “Bombing” as they call it, is a when a graffiti artists tags something with his name. Usually they bomb trains, subways, or city walls. This enrages city official and citizens who claim it trashes the city and gives “a bad impression of New York.” Those who support graffiti say it is just art. They’re not hurting anyone. Though the film shows both sides of the argument, it seems to give harsh depictions of the authorities. The mayor particularly, is highlighted as a conceited, heartless bigot.

After watching the movie, my opinion of graffiti hasn’t necessarily changed. I have a really hard time respecting the art of graffiti artists due to the method of their art. It’s not so much the fact that what they are doing is illegal, but simply because they are altering someone else’s property without permission. Its like stealing-taking something that is not yours- they are changing something that isn’t their to change. I will admit that I am in awe of some of the huge masterpieces that adorn city buildings and subways, but I just can’t condone the process.

Though the movie didn’t effect my overall stance on graffiti, I was surprised to learn a few things about the culture. For one, I didn’t realize how much bombing meant to taggers. These guys are looking for a way to spread their name as far and big as they can. They want other taggers to admire their work and say, “That guy is the king of bombing.” When it comes down to it, graffiti art is a real pride thing. They are also extremely dedicated artists. I was surprised to learn how serious some of the artists are, planning large murals far in advanced. It’s not just some act of vandalism for them, but a real lifestyle. One man describes the deserted subway tunnels as his “dungeon under the city.” For him graffiti is an emotional release and a double life creative outlet. Graffiti art is foreign and interesting to me. It represents a culture that I don’t necessarily understand. When I look at a piece I wonder about the artist. What the artwork means to them, and I imagine how they had to sneek around to do it. From the movie, I have learned how special this art is for a select group of people, but I myself would never want to participate it that kind of art. These guys aren’t making a political stance or statement. They’re just disrupting the city through art.

This American Life

The radio station, This American Life, had a really great Fathers Day special. It included touching stories about father children relationships with the focus on how fathers try to protect their children but how children also try to protect their fathers. The first story tells the tale of a father who jumps through numerous hoops to recover a lost bear for his son. The father wants so badly to help his son track down this lost teddy. The son had had the bear during a serious time of illness which put added sentimental value on the Teddy Bear. I think that in a way finding the bear may have meant even more to the father than it did to the son.

The second story shows the opposite side of this type of protection, where the son is looking out for his father. A son tries to help his father with Alzheimer’s by taking him on a road trip from Florida to New York City. He documents the trip through film and along the way he asks his father to remember things about friends, family, and different places. This story is powerful because it describes something that is very emotional and real to a lot of people. In many families, there comes a point when the roles flip. The parents grow older and need their children to care for them. Eventually everything comes full circle. I really believe that family is extremely important. They are a permanent support system that I can turn to no matter what.

The last story on the radio described a father who led his daughter to believe that mythical little creatures lived in their home. At first it was just a fun little game, but soon the father had created a complex tale. The father continued to deceive his daughter so that she wouldn’t be disappointed. It is hard being a parent. This father wanted to protect his daughter from the truth but he also wanted to protect her from the disappointment that was sure to result once she learned the truth.

When listening to this radio program, I picked up on certain things that made this program successful. It was only an audio presentation yet I was still able to understand everything that was going on. By having the music fade in and out, I was able to tell when the speaker was changing to some one recorded at a different time. Voice inflection and music choice was key to setting the tone of the program.

Visiting Artist Lecture: Faythe Levine

Faythe Levine is an artist who cherishes all things handmade. She works in a various assortment of media but her biggest and most recent project has been the creation of her film “Handmade Nation.” The film is a tribute to the indy craft movement, what some say is a revolt to consumerism and production. For the film, she interviewed 80 different artists in 15 different cities. She traveled to craft shows across the nation and found artists and businesses that create and sell handmade objects.

The film includes a variety of artists, from Nikki Mclure, the bookbinding specialist who also makes original art pieces from cut paper silhouettes, to Jenny Hart, the edgy owner of “Sublime Stitching” who has transformed the traditional practice of embroidery into a provocative art form. She visited some businesses that sell the artwork of multiple local artists. The artists in her film admit that their work takes time and patience to make, but it is part of the charm. Her film describes how in recent years this appreciation for handmade crafts has gained support as craft fairs like Renegade draw in the public and show how fun crafts can be. What is really interesting is how the commercial industry has tried to harness this fascination by creating things that look “Do It Yourself” or handmade. Some are worried that capitalism could try to swallow it up, much like the way big companies overtook the organic movement.

Aside from the story of her film, Faythe’s own story is also quite compelling. She is an artist and an entrepreneur. She never went to college and took a huge risk with her movie. She calls the expenses of her movie “what would have been my college debt.” She wasn’t able to hire a camera crew or a lighting set, but did everything herself. She set up a blog to document the progression of the movie. She networks and gains support through blogs, twitter, and Facebook. Currently her “Handmade Nation” Facebook page has 7116 fans.

At her presentation to Syracuse University, she gave some tidbits of advice to fellow artists. She said to always document one’s work through photography or blogging. What may not seem important at the time may be important later on. She also stressed the importance of keeping one’s personal life a part of their work. It may sound contrary to typical advice, but as an artist, it is the only way to create genuine artwork. I really appreciate this advice, especially since I sometimes find that the multiple activities in my life conflict with my life as an artist. It really is important to maintain balance in all things.

Student Artwork at Syracuse University

At display in the Shaffer art building are large scale mixed media pieces done by graduate student Daina Mattis. Her artwork features life-size images of people interacting in various ways. I like how she chooses to fill in some parts with detailed painting, but allows other parts to remain as just sketch lines. By painting some things with greater detail, she points the viewer to what she wants them to see in her scenes. She puts a lot of detail in the facial features. Daina's pieces are uniquely constructed out of large sections of paper piled together. It makes for a really cool effect and I feel like I am given a glimpse into her creative process. Its like I stepped into her studio and found all theses sketches and paintings lying around together as she found different ways to explore the same subject.
This image is really great because it highlights the perspective of the woman on the ground. She is heavily detailed but so is the thing she is looking at, the spot where the man is holding up his foot.
Guy Carlos' photographs are very real in a laid back sort of way. He seems to know that he is merely a photographer recording the natural world around him, but the beauty is in what he chooses to capture. His photo Guy Carlo in type writer keys may be an informal self portrait. It could be a statement about himself as a writer or as a creator of sorts. He chose to put the key with the symbols "4" and "$" at the top of the pyramid above his name. Does that mean that he is ruled by money?