Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Rain Deserves a Shower of Praises
The Beatles have been known to unite people, from their relaxed attitudes to their peaceful lyrics in songs like “Let It Be”, “Across the Universe” or John Lennon’s “Imagine”. Though The Beatles are no longer making music and playing concerts they have left a legacy that has given rise to numerous tribute bands.
One such band, Rain, came to Miller Auditorium in Kalamazoo, MI in mid February. Just like their greatest influence, Rain brought together a diverse and eclectic crowd all excited to see their favorite songs performed by one of the greatest tribute bands. Their show couldn’t have disappointed even the greatest fans.
Rain seemed to pride themselves on gathering this varied crowd. Throughout the show members of the band asked for lots of audience participation and would often only ask one type of group to participate at a time. During “Hey Jude” their John Lennon asked, “All the ladies, give us a sing,” and later “Everybody over sixty!” The crowd was made up of kids so young and small they had to stand in their seats to see and ranged in age all the way up to those that were so old they couldn’t stand to see at all. The mixed crowd made for a great experience for those that were used to a more homogenous feel.
Besides their varied audience, Rain effectively recreated the feel of the times in which The Beatles were most famous. Throughout the concert, the set changes a total of five times. The first set recreates the feel of “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. Following this the set becomes that of Shea Stadium where The Beatles played their most highly attended concert. Later they play music from the “St. Pepper” and Flower Power era. They end their show with the “Abbey Road” era.
Between each set change video montages played on the side of stage showing clips from shows, audience members, commercials of the times and even war clips. These montages effectively immersed the audience in the time period and got them remembering the pop culture but also the politics that fueled some of The Beatles greatest music. Along with changing sets and playing montages, the members of Rain changed costumes and appearances. They went from black suits, skinny ties, and long hair in the “Ed Sullivan” era to their barefoot, dirty shirt, and bearded “Abbey Road” era.
By the end of the show the whole crowd was on their feet begging for an encore. The first encore was “Imagine” and left some crowd members in tears, following that they played “Hey Jude” to end on a happy note. Following the show, as people dispersed for their cars, many were singing its praises. One woman, speaking to her partner, said “Maybe its my memory that is going, but that might have been better than when I saw The Beatles back in ’65”.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Photographer or Pornographer?
The cover of Sally Mann’s photographic collection “Immediate Family” features her three young children bare-chested staring defiantly into the lens of the camera. Though their gazes are strong and poses just as threatening, they are visibly small and weak. Their bodies have not yet changed into those of teenagers or adults. The mixes of arms are thin and breakable but despite this vulnerable size the children still look ahead and seem to say, “I dare you.” They may want to come across as stronger, older or more mature then they are but there is no denying that these are the bodies and faces of young children.
The provocative work of photographer Sally Mann has long raised issues from contemporary America on what is acceptable in art. Her collections of photographs in “At Twelve” and “Immediate Family” feature many nude shots of her own and others children. Many have asked whether Mann is a pornographer, creating graphic images of these children. Others wonder if she may have hurt children or in any way manipulated them to capture these “candid” moments in their lives. Mann is, indeed, an artist, but also a mother, and though much of her work touches on the innocent sexuality of youth, her focus is merely on her family and the desire to capture moments in time. Mann has said, “the things that are close to you are the things you can photograph the best and unless you photograph what you love, you are not going to make good art.”
And what Mann creates is good art. Her images have been praised as, “ethereal, provocative, sensual, inspiring, and full of wonder.” On the other hand her work has been called, “torturous, pornographic, disgusting or repulsive.” Coming from a small town in the south and being the youngest in her family she was often forgotten and left to wander on her own. Mann usually ran about naked in her home and yard like the rest of the family. Mann has taken her experiences and the way she was raised and applied it to her family life. In raising her children, Mann allowed Jesse, Emmet, and Virginia to run around in the nude and do as they please. These are the moments that she captures.
In “Immediate Family” her children are completely or nearly nude in every shot. The only things they wear are their bold faces and attitudes. In the photograph “Dog Scratches”, Virginia, her daughter, is lying nude on the couch bathed in sunlight, her body stretched and exposed, with one long gash running down her chest and stomach (apparently from a dog scratch). Another, “Wet Bed,” shows Virginia sleeping nude in bed; her body open and a dark stain spreading underneath her. Photos like these, and many others, have caused critics to raise questions, not only about her work, but also about her parenting.
It is not unusual for questions of this nature to arise. Over the past 100 years in photography the use of nudes, especially nude children, has come under a more critical eye. In 1886 photographer Frank Sutcliffe was excommunicated from the church for taking a photo of a group of nude, prepubescent boys swimming in the shallows. While the Church fought Sutcliffe and his material but the public readily accepted it as art. Since this occurrence the public has become more protective of its children and instead of becoming more accepting of this work, the public has fought harder against it. The changing values of the American home and society have greatly changed the standards for children’s nudes in art.
Compared to ‘photographers’ like Anne Geddes who put babies in flower costumes and on flower petals, Mann’s work comes across as abrasive and harsh. Geddes images have never been considered inappropriate or vulgar because her subjects, though nude children, do not hang on the edge of child versus adult, girl versus woman, daughter versus friend. And that is a point of concern in Mann’s photographs from “Immediate Family”. Her children are all photographed as early as 3 and up to age 11. Unlike Geddes, Mann doesn’t try and beautify the children. Often, in her photographs, the kids are covered in the popsicle drips, blackberry juice, or blood from cuts and bloody noses. They are real and have not been idealized for anyone.
But the public wants the idealized, don’t they? They fight against anything too provocative. Sexual images stir up ‘naughty’ feelings and turn impressionable youth towards sex. Geddes photographs what the public wants, the flowery, fluffy babies that represent purity and innocence. In today’s culture it seems that no photograph, no matter how artistically done, can escape the critics backlash. These shots of nude children are obviously pornographic representations of the photographers own messed up psyche, right?
In 2000, Jessie Mann, now an artist herself, spoke up about the photographs. Jessie , says the publicity coincided with her realization that their childhood wasn't "like other people's." The experience of collaborating with her mother taught her about the power of art, she says. And she admires the way the photographs provoke questions about the difference (or lack of it) between reality and fantasy, even as they touch on something deeper: "There is magic in things, life is magical and wonderful." Her statements have not led anyone to believe that they caused her or her siblings any harm as some have suggested.
The work of Mann has indeed featured nude children in provocative poses. Unlike pornographers looking for subjects to exploit their sexuality Mann’s children don’t exploit their bodies. They don’t realize the power that their nude bodies possess and while their minds are still young and innocent their bodies represent something much more sexual. As an artist Mann has no need to censor herself, as a mother she reached a point where her photographs became inappropriate and should have stepped back. The beauty of all of her shots, though, is what is important.
The provocative work of photographer Sally Mann has long raised issues from contemporary America on what is acceptable in art. Her collections of photographs in “At Twelve” and “Immediate Family” feature many nude shots of her own and others children. Many have asked whether Mann is a pornographer, creating graphic images of these children. Others wonder if she may have hurt children or in any way manipulated them to capture these “candid” moments in their lives. Mann is, indeed, an artist, but also a mother, and though much of her work touches on the innocent sexuality of youth, her focus is merely on her family and the desire to capture moments in time. Mann has said, “the things that are close to you are the things you can photograph the best and unless you photograph what you love, you are not going to make good art.”
And what Mann creates is good art. Her images have been praised as, “ethereal, provocative, sensual, inspiring, and full of wonder.” On the other hand her work has been called, “torturous, pornographic, disgusting or repulsive.” Coming from a small town in the south and being the youngest in her family she was often forgotten and left to wander on her own. Mann usually ran about naked in her home and yard like the rest of the family. Mann has taken her experiences and the way she was raised and applied it to her family life. In raising her children, Mann allowed Jesse, Emmet, and Virginia to run around in the nude and do as they please. These are the moments that she captures.
In “Immediate Family” her children are completely or nearly nude in every shot. The only things they wear are their bold faces and attitudes. In the photograph “Dog Scratches”, Virginia, her daughter, is lying nude on the couch bathed in sunlight, her body stretched and exposed, with one long gash running down her chest and stomach (apparently from a dog scratch). Another, “Wet Bed,” shows Virginia sleeping nude in bed; her body open and a dark stain spreading underneath her. Photos like these, and many others, have caused critics to raise questions, not only about her work, but also about her parenting.
It is not unusual for questions of this nature to arise. Over the past 100 years in photography the use of nudes, especially nude children, has come under a more critical eye. In 1886 photographer Frank Sutcliffe was excommunicated from the church for taking a photo of a group of nude, prepubescent boys swimming in the shallows. While the Church fought Sutcliffe and his material but the public readily accepted it as art. Since this occurrence the public has become more protective of its children and instead of becoming more accepting of this work, the public has fought harder against it. The changing values of the American home and society have greatly changed the standards for children’s nudes in art.
Compared to ‘photographers’ like Anne Geddes who put babies in flower costumes and on flower petals, Mann’s work comes across as abrasive and harsh. Geddes images have never been considered inappropriate or vulgar because her subjects, though nude children, do not hang on the edge of child versus adult, girl versus woman, daughter versus friend. And that is a point of concern in Mann’s photographs from “Immediate Family”. Her children are all photographed as early as 3 and up to age 11. Unlike Geddes, Mann doesn’t try and beautify the children. Often, in her photographs, the kids are covered in the popsicle drips, blackberry juice, or blood from cuts and bloody noses. They are real and have not been idealized for anyone.
But the public wants the idealized, don’t they? They fight against anything too provocative. Sexual images stir up ‘naughty’ feelings and turn impressionable youth towards sex. Geddes photographs what the public wants, the flowery, fluffy babies that represent purity and innocence. In today’s culture it seems that no photograph, no matter how artistically done, can escape the critics backlash. These shots of nude children are obviously pornographic representations of the photographers own messed up psyche, right?
In 2000, Jessie Mann, now an artist herself, spoke up about the photographs. Jessie , says the publicity coincided with her realization that their childhood wasn't "like other people's." The experience of collaborating with her mother taught her about the power of art, she says. And she admires the way the photographs provoke questions about the difference (or lack of it) between reality and fantasy, even as they touch on something deeper: "There is magic in things, life is magical and wonderful." Her statements have not led anyone to believe that they caused her or her siblings any harm as some have suggested.
The work of Mann has indeed featured nude children in provocative poses. Unlike pornographers looking for subjects to exploit their sexuality Mann’s children don’t exploit their bodies. They don’t realize the power that their nude bodies possess and while their minds are still young and innocent their bodies represent something much more sexual. As an artist Mann has no need to censor herself, as a mother she reached a point where her photographs became inappropriate and should have stepped back. The beauty of all of her shots, though, is what is important.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A Little Something
In 2000 this article was published in the NYT and relates to Sally Mann and her work. I am writing about her for my final but if you want to read about it from another perspective it is a really well done piece.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901EFDB1F3BF93AA25752C1A9669C8B63&pagewanted=2
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901EFDB1F3BF93AA25752C1A9669C8B63&pagewanted=2
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Final Proposal: Sally Mann
Since the 1970’s Sally Mann has been making a name for herself in modern photography. Going back to the traditional roots of photography Mann utilizes old cameras and traditional processes to create her ethereal, haunting images of the vitality of life and the bitterness of death.
In the early 1990’s her work started a scandal revolving around the ethics of photography. Mann, a resident of very rural Virginia, often let her three children run around in the nude. Her first two published books At Twelve and Immediate Family both featured images of her nude children. The content of the photographs caused serious criticism and was considered pornographic. Though the debate over her photographs has died down the underlying social issues are still of great importance. The photographs did not just bring up issues of pornography but also of familial relationship, previous experience, bonds and the ethics of photography.
The majority of my final will be based on research done through analysis of photographs, researching past articles and watching documentaries. Mann will also be compared to artists whose work has brought about similar debate, for example, Robert Mapplethorpe. Combining these resources together will allow a complete picture of Mann to be made.
In the early 1990’s her work started a scandal revolving around the ethics of photography. Mann, a resident of very rural Virginia, often let her three children run around in the nude. Her first two published books At Twelve and Immediate Family both featured images of her nude children. The content of the photographs caused serious criticism and was considered pornographic. Though the debate over her photographs has died down the underlying social issues are still of great importance. The photographs did not just bring up issues of pornography but also of familial relationship, previous experience, bonds and the ethics of photography.
The majority of my final will be based on research done through analysis of photographs, researching past articles and watching documentaries. Mann will also be compared to artists whose work has brought about similar debate, for example, Robert Mapplethorpe. Combining these resources together will allow a complete picture of Mann to be made.
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