5/11/09

Title:What of today?

Game:

I brought into the space four newspapers-A New York Times, A Red Eye, Chicago Tribune, and a Chicago Sun Times. I spread them out underneath the tree(as the Christmas tree it once was), and began to page through, ripping or cutting out headlines or items that caught my attention on a quick flip-through. This was an attention-grab game. I found that photos or articles I found immediately disturbing or beautiful, and both, were impulsively cut with care. Things I found personally repulsive were ripped,yet still added, and headlines or advertisements that enhanced a sense of absurdity were carelessly cut. In the midst of this, much was going on- photo documentation was being taken for the department, my wonderful and always-inspiring advisor and I had a meeting, earlier than scheduled, but that was fine, and fit into the attention pull and skew of this task that was not announced, familiar and pedestrian, all fitting into the theme of this piece.

Once the newspaper pieces were dissected, I placed them where I felt they belonged in the space. This was my game  for this day. Pulling from places that influence and exist, yet being completely separated as an observer to catch and cut, pull, and extort the meaning that contains meaning for me at a first visceral glance. What catches our attention in the familiarity of following rituals, like reading a newspaper, which is a solid thing to do, while being concerned by the outside world, but how quickly is our attention, direction and impulse pulled? 

 I love newspapers as they are tangible, directed, edited, a chore, and a privilege. I chose to use newspapers that were both opposed in audience, and available at the nearest gas station. A little bit of choice, and a little bit of circumstance. We glean information based on the information available to us. Newspapers are directed to a specific audience, in journalistic objectivity and aspirations of integrity, and that is compelling to me in the scope of Loss is Expected. 

So I flipped, cut, tore, held meetings, listened to the activity around me, and then placed my findings where I felt they belonged within the space.