Exposing social convention and its inexorable political control over human bodies Gregor Schneider’s 21 Beach Cells (2007)(Fig.1) reinvents the irony of ‘determined leisure’ found in Realist painter Edward Hopper’s implicitly dystopian work People in the Sun (1960)(Fig.2). The difference in practice and context shows a subtle and vital difference between what each work is saying. Hopper creates irony through the conventions of realism and composition: determined people of the fifties era trying to be at leisure, whilst Schneider through transformative architecture: current people determined to be at leisure. Both works are critical toward normative behaviors of the time through the artist maintaining distance from them.
Planted in the sands of Bondi beach 21 Beach Cells is a culturally sanitized replica of Guantanamo holding cages consisting of 21 4x4m spaces containing a beach umbrella, a sunbed and garbage bag for visitors . Being a German artist Schneider is observer to Australia, thus imparting experiences of the
…show more content…
Yet the setting implies otherwise: audiences see beach amenities in each cell and a comforting chance of seeing past the idea of being in a cage and reclaiming it as beach- visitors occupy cells and the space is defeated as the cage becomes volleyball nets, family spaces and convenient borders. The space is overruled by the greater social architecture and leisure seeking- alluding to the ‘reclaiming the beach’ ideations of the 2005 Cronulla race riots. Schneider states it was the influence behind the work and so too Guantanamo Bay’s architecture. The structure of 21 Beach Cells is a grid made from typical local fencing. By virtue of the grid, the work is presented as a mere fragment from an infinitely larger fabric. Thus the grid operates from the work of art outward, compelling acknowledgement of a world beyond the
time. Her second work, titled ‘Welcome to Australia’ is a landscape image taken of the detention centre's perimeter fence, with the beautiful sky seen behind the building, a self-proclaimed critique of the Australian Governments mistreatment of asylum seekers with a satirical
I added the prison bars to make it obvious that the contrast of both the lighting and color relates specifically to the incarceration of an individual. Only after making the realization of the relation to prison can the viewer then understand the impact of the color choice. The secondary choice I made in composing this photograph was the addition of a “word cloud” behind the prison
In this topic, Peter Malae creates a menacing mood for the audience that allows them to feel the feeling of living in jail with the fear of getting punished and tortured while also having to be conscious of his/her actions (lack of freedom) around
by 90 in, or approximately 5 ½ ft. high by 7 ½ ft. wide. The artwork is imposing and takes up much of the wall, necessitating that the viewer stand in multiple places to view the panting from multiple angles. The painting is in a relatively thin frame, with no glass. The media is oil and acrylic on canvas. The lighting in this gallery space is dim, and the painting is illuminated with two dim spot lights, in such a way that middle of the painting is illuminated more so than the sides. The subject matter of the painting is a view of the San Francisco bay, with San Quentin State Prison visible on the opposite side of the bay. The prison composes the background and is placed in the center right of the painting, the water in the bay and a small sailboat compose the middle ground, and the coastline composes the foreground and is placed on the left side of the painting. The prison is very small in scale compared to the coastline, to create the illusion of distance between the two, and the viewer’s perspective is that of standing on the coastline opposite the prison. The prison and the sailboat are the only two man-made objects in the painting. The coastline depicted is a small and rounded beach. Large tan and brown boulders with sage green and brown plant-life growing on them are placed on the opposite side of the small beach from the viewer’s perspective, and partially obstruct the view of
After listening to and or reading the transcripts of Locked Down: Gangs in the Supermax by Michael Montgomery, one gets a glimpse of prison life, sociological issues inmates and staff face, and the subculture of prison life faced by staff and prisoners alike on a daily basis. However, instead of delving completely in to the situational circumstances of prisoner life, it is more important to understand the history of this Supermax prison and why it was constructed to begin with. Further, it is important to understand the philosophy of the need for the Secure Housing Unit, which is the most secure and isolated portion of Pelican Bay Prison.
Joining wide social occasions with his own specific understanding as a detainee, John Irwin develops a capable and sensible outline of the enormous city confine. Not in the smallest degree like imprisonment workplaces, which keep sentenced gangsters confines on an extremely essential level tie got people not yet charged or arraigned any affirmed wrongdoing. Irwin battles that as opposed to controlling the unfriendly, keep trances and undermines these individuals, ingraining newcomers to the riffraff class. All in all, Irwin addresses the issue of prison change and the matter of social control requested by society. Reissued over a quarter century its shrouded scattering with another foreword by Jonathon Simon, The Jail remains a phenomenal record
Hassine begins his narrative as he is entering prison but this time as an inmate. Prior to his incarceration, Hassine was an attorney (Hassine, 2011). Even then as an attorney, the high walls of prison intimated Hassine (Hassine, 2011). As Hassine was being processed into the system, he expressed how he systematically became hopeless from the very prison structure itself as well as because of the intimidation he felt by uniforms. Prisons of the past actually had a goal to aid individuals through rehabilitation by instilling new values in order to correct the wrongs that one may have committed during their lifetime but today this is no longer true. . Hassine draws colorful depictions of how dim and unfamiliar a prison can be in which instills fear in an individual soon as he or she
This incongruity between a prison cell and family, as Galindo explores makes a direct statement about the local Texas community. Many viewers were unaware of the existence of the actual “Hutto Prison” until they had seen the work in the gallery space . Galindo’s ‘art object’ also raises awareness about how such issues can be ignored within a community or hidden by the power of political dominance. Therefore, the intrusive nature of the object directly critiques this situation.
Throughout history crime has always presented itself as well as punishment for these crimes. In time there have been several ways to physically, emotionally, and psychologically punish a human being. However, being a part of the Guantanamo Bay era the increasing use of solitary confinement has offered itself to be one of the best ways to reprimand criminals as well as hostages. A troubling movement in the American prison system is the escalating use of sustained and consistent forms of cruel solitary confinement also known as supermax prisons which are used to confine prisoners that the government labels as dangerous. A documentary film, as well as several informative resources, will be used to uncover the truths behind this form of punishment.
As a parent, you are surely disheartened to watch your teenager struggling with addiction. Dealing with the situation is difficult because your teenager has not yet developed the capability of completely under standing the dangers related to their behavior. Many times, it falls on you as the loving parent to be the one to find them the help they need. When your child is ready, you should take the time to seek out the right teenage drug addiction treatment center.
This piece was created during a time of political and social change. Increased political awareness and a focus on celebrity demanded art that was more
In the early 20th century Charles Meere used art to depict Australia’s beaches as an idyllic place where the average Aussie would spend their free time. These works were during a time when Australian Immigration had a white policy and this was reflected in his subjects being tanned, physically strong, dominant male bodies alongside perfectly shaped young women and carefree children. Meere’s ‘Australian Beach Pattern’ is a symbol of the ideal Australian and promotes it to be typical of Australia’s identity of this era, however, fast forward 49 years to Anne Zahalka’s 1989 ‘The Bathers’ from the Bondi series, ‘Playground of the Pacific’, where she recreates Meere’s iconic painting and compare the characteristics of the Australian people from this timeframe. This photograph highlights how Australia’s culture has evolved while still embracing the importance of the beach to family
This spectacle is related to the ideals of torture. They are tortured and punished based on exclusions and exception. The refugees held in detention centres form the exception. They are the Other which no one wishes to become and are a danger to society. Those tortured are viewed as deserving because they are seen as a threat. The power to make decisions about who can and cannot enter Australia lies within the (Government) Sovereignty (Georgatos, 2017). The sovereign
André Breton ran the Surrealist Movement with impressive discipline and rigidity, making an interesting contrast between what the Surrealists preached and the management style of its leader. An interesting story, for example, tells how Salvador Dalí, one of the most prominent members of the Surrealist movement, attended a New York costume party dressed up as Charles Lindbergh’s son, who had been recently kidnapped and murdered. New York’s society did not take the statement well and eventually made Dalí apologize for his behavior. Breton, however, almost dismissed him from Movement because he claimed that “no one should excuse himself for a Surrealist act[6].” This anecdote demonstrates the seriousness of Breton and his Movement towards its final objective: revolution and the slashing of society’s conventions in the interest of a subconscious reality.
The place where I feel most comfortable is a place where I am calm. A place that is peaceful in its own ways. It is the place to go to get away from all my troubles. It is the one place where I could sit forever, and never get tired of just staring into the deepest blue I have ever seen. It is the place where I can sit and think the best. A place where nothing matters but what is in that little moment. The one place capable of sending my senses into an overload. This place is the ocean.