One note- it’s been hard for me to figure out how to paste certain images on here. Maybe we can have five mins of next class to discuss best ways?
This week, I went to an amazing placed call the Interference Archives to find images I could bring to class that spark conversation about how artists have used lines. For my work, I’m still wondering what I will do with the lines. Will they make some piece of or a full image? Will they be without an identifiable form and more about how the ways in which I’ve torn, stretched, knotted the fabric reflects the experience and struggle of searching, finding, loosing and searching again for connection? I wanted to find images where the artists’ lines were visible, maybe even the main attraction, so I could get some ideas sparked for what I can do and why I might choose to do one rather than the other.
For some background, Interference Archives is a place that has movement art for many decades. Tons of political flyers, posters, calendars. You can find their website here: http://interferencearchive.org/ During their open hours, you can freely browse through things. it’s lots of fun.
I found mostly loosely connected pieces, and I wanted to share them because they are beautiful. I was drawn particularly to images from social movements in Mexico because that is where my mother’s family is from and the art was very powerful to me. What do you think about the lines in these pieces? How does their visibility impact your experience of these piece? What are they saying to you?
The last piece I also liked because the artist used the lines quite well to evoke labor, as Luttrell did with her cut outs. My own identity transformation I’m exploring in my lines (as I mentioned earlier, the experience of going from hearing the stories, to telling the stories) is very connected to my labor, to being a care taker. The things we do, and who we become. The daily acts of lifting, holding hands, bringing water. It makes sense to me to think of experience, identity and labor as intertwined.
These pieces I also thought spoke beautiful to the connection between our labor and effort, our connection to land and our people (however we define that), and our identity.
Hi Amanda:
I’m sorry the images didn’t appear on the site since your text relies on them to a large degree. My guess is because they were too large. Smaller jpegs will work – I’m not sure what the upper limit is. You want the image to be big enough to be clear but not so big that it won’t load. I’ll see if I can find out what the limits are. Didn’t you say you would actually brings stuff for us to look at for our next class? I hope so because what you’ve written sounds incredibly compelling and exciting.
Your text about caring resonates both with Wendy’s work and Victoria’s work, the idea of care as labor which both Wendy and Victoria build upon. Of course identity must be entwined with the carework that one engages in. I’m interested in your “going from hearing stories” to “telling stories,” and I wonder how it relates to an ongoing discussion we’ve been having on this site about the relationship between the researcher and the researched and whose voice is being represented (does it needs to be only one voice?) Victoria, in her own voice recorded what teachers said to her. Dora wonders/worries about how to keep the voice of those she speaks with pure (maybe that’s too strong). I ponder about how my re-presentation of student voices includes my own voice and place. How does the medium you use to express your research affect the mingling of voices and concerns? Please bring the images we can’t see but to which you refer to in your post to class so we can all discuss. I’m really looking forward to that!