Exposing For The Public

NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

 

Logging into Facebook today a friends post caught my eye:

 

"Marina Abramović is best known for her performance pieces, in which she tries to explore what is possible for an artist to do in the name of art. Her best known piece was the recent “The Artist Is Present,” in which she sat motionless for 736.5 hours over the course of three months, inviting visitors to sit opposite her and make eye contact for as long as they wanted. So many people began spontaneously crying across from her that blogs and Facebook groups were set up for those people.

Her bravest piece, however, is my favorite. This piece was primarily a trust exercise, in which she told viewers she would not move for six hours no matter what they did to her. She placed 72 objects one could use in pleasing or destructive ways, ranging from flowers and a feather boa to a knife and a loaded pistol, on a table near her and invited the viewers to use them on her however they wanted."

- Humbert Humbert 

 



The fact that majority of the people chose pain verses pleasure when they thought they wouldn't be held responsible says a lot about human nature to me.

I commend her for her courage.

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Hollywood Boulevard

 

Riding my bicycle along Hollywood Boulevard today I saw him in the crowd - noticed him instantly.
When we reached each other, I said hi and asked if he would mind if I took his photo.

“You want my photo?”

"Yeah," I said. "There’s nobody like you."

“I know.”

And he smiled for me, although his face was evidently destroyed by something, and his mouth reconstructed. I asked him what happened.

“Shot,” he said. “Shot in the face.”

He motioned a gun at close range being shot directly into his face.

"And you survived that?" I asked.

“No,” he said with a smile. “I’m dead.”

I apologized for what was a stupid question, but it was hard to fathom - gun shot- close range - into his face, and he lived?

"So what happened?" I asked. "Was it an accident, or did someone mean to shoot you?"

“I did it myself. Tried to kill myself.” 

"You did?" 

“Yeah.” 

"Where?" 

“Arizona.” 

"Phoenix?" 

“Tucson.” 

"So tell me, how did it feel, after you shot yourself in the face and realized you were not dead?"

“Agony. The worst agony ever.” 

"Man." 

“Yeah.” 

"What kind of gun?"

“30-aught-six.”

I was thunderstruck. I have met and photographed many people humans who have overcome amazing adversity.

Lydia, who was burnt almost to death. Ray, whose eye was gone. Margaret, who weighed over 500 pounds. But this. Man. And yet he was smiling.

I told him what I thought: God gives everyone a different life - and some people get really really hard lives.

“That’s me. Doesn’t get much worse.”

Told me he’s on the street. Homeless. I asked him how bad it was that he wanted to die.

“Bad. Really bad. The worse kind.” 

"Are you gonna try again?" 

“No. I tried once. That’s enough.”

And yet he smiled. He smiled for me. This man with his face blown off, by his own hand. And here he is - in the sunshine, listening to music, smiling.

Sometimes our lives seem hard, unbearable even but then we meet Kevin, or Lydia, or Ray.

And realize again how lucky we are.

Credit

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Ikaw, "You Will Say Sorry"

People say  we are defined by our past. But What if the history from your past isn’t that grand? Do you refuse it or do you learn to accept it? Kevin Nadal wrote a poem called "Ikaw" from his early college days. He expresses his anger from what he and others have gone through with the stereotypes living in America and situations that the media does not bring up to light from the past and the present. Combined with poetry he expresses his feelings mixed with historical facts to inform his audience. I was shocked and surprised. I did not know information that was said imbedded in this poem.

I feel ashamed. I feel embarrassed that I did not know this information and I feel like every other society, brain washed American. It makes me angry that the media does not cover important topics other than Obama’s new, fluffy, poodle puppy in the big white house that is chewing up all of the furniture and bit the emperor of japan during a ceremonial dinner of the rich, important people of the world, or celebrities dramatically breaking up with cheating scandals, messy divorces (Oh no! Who is going to get the $65 billion dollar mansion with a built in five lane bowling alley and gold encrusted toilets?), or partying underage in night clubs flashing their ‘who ha” to egger paparazzi as they step into taxi cabs. I feel ashamed. When did the public stop caring about important issues that have an impact on themselves? Are we as Americans really that self-centered and selfish? Why in America, issues are only viewed as a battle between “black and white?” What about everyone else? Being a Mexican American, I thought being a Mexican was hard to be recognized in society. I can relate to Kevin. My whole life I was discriminated against and was not told important details and historical events from my past family history which makes a part of who I am. When I used to live in Mexico and I was treated differently because of my skin color. My skin is too white to be a “real” Mexican thus I don’t need to know important information. It is like having colored sunglasses. You can see what is in front of you but when you remove the colored leans away from your face the perspective changes like one big illusion. I learned a lot of historical events and learned how crude really society is.

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