As horribly sad, destructive, and devastating this picture is and as bombs are, this picture is very aesthetically pleasing to me, which I find very strange. How is it that something you know is so horrid and that both represents and causes mass destruction can be pleasing to the eye at the same time. The colors, the forms, everything about this image is oddly attractive, and if someone didn't know what a bomb exploding looked like, they would probably think of it as just a beautiful image of something unknown to them. This world perplexes me daily.
One day, not right now, but one day, I want to create some strange, surreal artwork that gives the sense of an alternate dimension/universe/destination, something not of this world. This photograph above is by Joel-Peter Witkin, a photographer that created very creepy, surreal still-life photographs that often included dwarfs, hermaphrodites, transsexuals, and other people and things not associated with normal life.
Not only does he create an alternate dimension with his work, it all has a particularly dark, ominous mood. No doubt he was probably a pretty fucked up dude, but rather people find it distasteful or not, I draws people in and make them think about things. That is the objective of most art: to stimulate the brain, to think about things, to create ideas of your own. It is an endless cycle of consciousness, and that is why art is so important day-to-day.
In honor of Mother's Day coming up on Monday, I decided to alter a photo of my mom to make her a member of the Blue Man Group. Her and I share the belief that the Blue Man Group is one of the most retarded entertainment groups (not going to call it music) and that anyone who seriously enjoys listening to them has something wrong with them. Although it's not as blueman-esque as I would like, you get the idea.
I find this to be a very interesting image. I shot this photo on a roadtrip down to southern California. This is somewhere in northern California (also known as the good part) along I-5. The photo is very ironic because as "perfect" and "picturesque" this place seem, California has slowly been becoming a rotting pile of trash for the past half a century. Also considering I was riding in the back of my parents' gas-guzzling Lexus SUV while I took this photograph adds to the irony of it. There is endless pollution and ignorance that plagues this state. California has become the epitome of an Illusion of Paradise.
This image has many parallels with an album that was recently released by a band I am a big fan of called Pulling Teeth. The album is called Paradise Illusions/Paranoid Delusions, and the concept of the album follows the same lines as what I had mentioned above. Things in the Western World, America specifically, are created to make an illusion of Paradise (shopping malls, theme parks, gated communities, etc.) to entertain, satisfy and distract us from the serious problems that we refuse to or are unable to confront. Here is the album art for the record (which is double-sided) that represents these themes very well:
This is my favorite band Trial from Seattle doing a reunion show in Chicago this weekend which I happened to be at. Despite a couple fuckups, mostly on the drummer's part, it was fucking amazing. Look closely to see me in the video! This was one of the most awesome experience of my life thus far.
Looking at this from a digital media standpoint, I think about seeing a video as well filmed as this could potentially dull down some of the excitement of actually getting to see them live, or it could just get one more excited to maybe one day get to experience something like this, depending on how one looks at and digests the digital world. It is amazing how vivid and clear videos of things such as a concert can become, capturing all the lighting and color that existed there. I remember watching a Led Zeppelin DVD once and at times the only colors that could be made out were red, blue and white from the lighting and the film technology from that time.
Although this video is indeed very inspiring and exciting, one cannot take in the full essence of being at this show simply from watching it. There was so much energy and emotion that filled the venue, it is almost indescribable. I will admit that I shed a tear once or twice from the immense passion and meaning that is in Trial's music, and finally getting to see them after listening to them for more than 4 years, the most important 4 years of my life. This band has inspired and influenced me and how I live my life on so many different levels, and seeing them along with the majority of my other favorite bands was a life-changing experience.
