Hello everyone.
So last night I caught the new episode of Craft in America
on PBS. I had been looking forward to it all weekend after hearing an AD for it
on NPR Friday night. The AD said the new episode would focus on the theme of
Service & Craft’s connection to the military, which got me even more
excited.
Here is a link to the episode
http://www.craftinamerica.org/episodes/service/
The episode begins with a profile on Veteran and Artist Ehren Tool, who creates
cups with images of war pressed into the clay as well as photos printed in
iron-oxide that he fires into the clay. His work confronts the disconnect between
pop cultures appropriation of the images of war and the horrific realities of
armed conflicts, specifically his experience in Operation Desert Shield and the
current campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. At one point a video is shown where
the finished cups are shot and destroyed by a bullet in 1.5 second intervals.
Tool says this represents soldiers being fractured or destroyed by a little
piece of lead in the same way. You would have to watch the video for 8 days
straight to see a cup destroyed for each US military casualty of WW2.
Here
is a link to a story about the Artist and his work.
Pam DeLuco of http://shotwellpapermill.com/products/paper-dolls/
helped Women Veterans turn their old uniforms into paper for a book project
that gave voice to their experiences both good and bad in the military. Here is
a story about the book in the Huffington post.
Eugene Burks Jr. is the final
Artist featured. Mr. Burks is a leather worker who creates beautiful harnesses
for the horses in the honor guard at Arlington National Cemetery. Seeing the
rows and rows of headstones for the fallen soldiers made me think back to the
cups being shot, and the idea of watching the 1.5 second segments for 8 days
straight as a representation of the loss of life in WW2.
This all connected with what I wanted to try with press molds for leaving pieces in public. I had been rummaging through my daughters toys looking for some inspiration on something to leave strangers. I was hoping to stumble upon something that might be universally recognizable and that would make people think about their own children or childhood. After watching the show on service I instantly knew I was about to fundamentally change directions. I still want to try press molds, and seeing Erhen Tool use them to alter his wheel thrown cups started making me think about how I might do something similar. At the end of the episode seeing the head stones and connecting them to the video gave me an idea. I want to try making press molds of head stones that mimic what you find at Arlington National Cemetery on a smaller scale, not in numbers but in size. Maybe something that could be displayed in public so strangers would still find the work on their walk home or to class, but instead of taking it with them simply seeing a representation of the scale of casualties in our current wars would give them something else to take away. Not a physical toy or representation of childhood memory but a better understanding of the sacrifice and the actual cost of the current military campaigns the nation so often pushes to the back of the papers and our minds.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you all think. I am a bit intimidated about this with regards to scale and subject matter, any input would be very welcome.
I love the idea...some thoughts, be more specific ....instead of all buried at Arlington, maybe look to the veterans cemetery in Texas or look at your home town who was lost there. In other words bring the story home. The Southwest Collection at TTU has a large collection of Vietnam paper and artifacts. Maybe look there. How about the women who serve...or the medics...something to make it focused.
ReplyDeleteI will look up the program
future
I was thinking of making one for each service member killed during the current wars in Irag and Afganistan since I have a family member and a close friend who have been deployed a number of times. I was thinking of replicating the look of Arlington, so displaying them on open grass in parks or on campuses. My father servied in the Marines during Vietnam but never saw combat. My Grandfather was a pilot during WW2 but never flew a combat mission. I have an uncle who's father flew 100s of combat missions over the pacific during WW2.
ReplyDeleteOf all of these connections I feel the strongest with the current Wars. I think I want the work to be more about the cost of War in human lives. I have a lot of questions and ideas Future. I will need to sit down and talk to you this weekend at TAEA. LOTS on my mind regarding this.
Daniel, I LOVE THIS! The military have a special place in my heart. My brother has served many tours over seas durning this current war. I recently have been making crosses for people with family members who have served and was recently given the opportunity to make one for a woman whose son is a marine and is going to pass on my name and info to other moms in her marine moms support group so that I can make work or crosses for them as well. It is a way for them to heal as well as share in their paths.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love that people honor those that have lost their lives, I also think it is very important to honor those that are still with us for their sacrifices of being away from their families, missing out on the births of their children, or passing of family members, or losing limbs, or suffering from PTSD. I like what Future said about making it personal to your home town, what if you made the ones like you said for those that lost their lives, but what about something honoring those that are alive and have served in the war as well? Just a thought... Those families have sacrificed so much as well and do not get the recognition they deserve either... Just a thought....
There is a ephemeral nature to your idea--changing with the interaction with the viewer-echoes ephemeral nature of life. A long time ago- the Houston ballet created a dance pieced based on boogie woogie bugle boy-- all the while the dancers were moving there was machine gun fire _it somehow is kin to this.
ReplyDelete