Cut and Paste: The Blackface Stereotypes of Michael Ray ...



Cut and Paste: The Blackface Stereotypes of Michael Ray Charles and Al Jolson

By Vaughn W. Garland

2008

The problem with a stereotype is not its ability to persuade or to transform definition from one position to another, but its systematic suspension of definition to create a copy. The essential point of a stereotype is that it creates an indirect or flat atmosphere, a caricature. In the moment when an identity is remodeled into a description, the individual or group is seen as a mirrored version, neither full of life nor reflective in thought. What remains in the mirror is a shadow of reality, a misfire, a picture, and a voucher. The possibility, or lack of reflection in a stereotype, is that the stereotype gives up definition for a multilayered manipulation of the traditional identity for the copy, the cast, and the caricature. The stereotype succeeds by removing all remaining definitions of and connections between the copy and the original, leaving a second meaning to reside as the sole survivor of the connection. In this moment, where the definition and description intertwines, one finds the paintings of Michael Ray Charles and the real life representation of Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer.

Three-Pennies: Bohemian Culture of Tom Waits and Nan Goldin

By Vaughn W. Garland

2008

Tom is standing on the piano with a megaphone that reaches across the room toward a lone microphone screaming about hot dog sandwiches, sexual discomfort, and Pontiac apple pie. In the next room, a stack of dingy Polaroids scattered in small piles secretly reveals a portrait not usually seen by the outside world and whose sitter would as easily give the finger to that world than care about what it thought. In these two rooms, a counter-culture continues to push through the smoky haze of cigarettes and stale coffee. It is an ideal that has evaluated the masses, a check and balance on current moments. The importance of bohemian culture is that it continues to live, to breath, and to re-evaluate the principles of the time. Tom Waits’ music and Nan Goldin’s photographs deconstruct current cultural norms by either approaching the world through subtle shifts of musical bars made from home grown instruments or by slapping the face of considered pictorial composition and content. Both Waits and Goldin live in the world of bohemian ideals that continue to reshape what it means to be an artist, an intellectual, a peasant against the elite, and someone who lives for passion.

Broadcast System Failure: Assimilation in Simulacra and Simulation and The Matrix

By Vaughn W. Garland

2008

Much of the world was watching intently for the announcement on the news describing the end of what then seemed normal life. The end of the 20th century brought new fears concerning the importance and presence of a new age coded in 1’s and 0’s. The computer age was then still mysterious to a mass audience that truly did not understand the potential threat to the global computer network. In 1999 the world sat in front of the TV waiting to see if everything would fall apart because of a technological phenomenon- a glitch known as Y2K. The full force of The Matrix revealed a deep unanswered concern regarding the nature of reality. Here in the wonderful world of magical wires that transported strange new abstractions of reality into private homes, Baudrillard’s theory of challenging reality worked perfectly. Here, the masses were exposed to and experienced a new type of hysteria. The assimilation of this world with our own was as tantalizing as it was radical. Within this assimilation, one could become anything and have the answer to any question with the press of a finger. The Matrix, with its tip of the hat to Baudrillard, not only gave a new signpost to the question of reality, it allowed our minds to run wild without a signifier, which is the true genius of Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation. With The Matrix, Baudrillard had his ideas broadcast through the perfect backdrop and the perfect stage. Yet, as I will discuss, the problem with both movie and philosophy is not the radical viewpoint expressed by Baudrillard, but the absence of the reason behind the cause. Baudrillard disregarded the importance of where the red and blue pills come from and what they do, the information revealing the assimilation. Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation constructed a rigid disparity between what is considered “Real” and what is considered a copy or a simulation of the original. The problem with Baudrillard’s argument, as it is in The Matrix, is that to deconstruct freely the philosophical environment, one must evaluate how and where the journey begins. One must consider the reasons why Alice found herself tumbling down the rabbit hole.

Going Viral: Art in the Media

By Vaughn W. Garland

2009

In the past several years, social media websites, chat rooms, and personal blogs have taken on new life by dispensing the news of the day as short, highly charged viral accounts. These viral accounts, or stories, are created and defended by the people who are not traditionally in charge of the news media, but by those who are the recipients of the media. Through social media outlets, people not only receive information, they also have the ability to share the story in sharing online posts and videos. These websites, such as youtube, arguably give their participants the ability to reach the world more rapidly and with more translucency than any previous technological advancement. Just the act of “logging in” to the conversation and then sharing that conversation to friends or email groups allows the story to expand, reach additional people, and potentially take on additional significance. The more controversial the story is the more potential it has to “go viral;” in other words, the more potential it has to be shared to thousands of people in online communities within a few short seconds.

Open Space: A Magazine about Public Art

(A Grant Proposal)

By Vaughn W. Garland

2009

Open Space seeks a visual arts grant to support a bi-annual publication that highlights contemporary cultural and artistic trends in public art. This cutting edge publication looks to ask the question: What is public art? With a structure that focuses on the way art can begin conversations in communities across the globe, this publication promotes artistic and organizational projects by covering public art projects found in places ranging from city centers to rural towns. Published in both print and online formats, Open Space is an original artist-designed publication that documents, comments on, and addresses the role of public art and public art issues and their ethics. In doing so, this magazine will raise questions that will change the way artists, public art commissions, and the general public looks at new projects.

Recession by Gun: An Interview with Hamilton Glass

By Vaughn W. Garland

2009

Last week my girlfriend and I went to buy a “deal-buster” dishwasher for our house. It was one of those packed-aisle days where people rush in trying to get the cheapest deals of the year and we were right in the middle of it. We had spent the entire morning driving from place to place in a total rush with no luck in finding something we could afford on a shitty budget. Between the yelling at other drivers and making plans to see our families for the upcoming holiday season, we chatted about President Barack Obama making plans to announce his troop addition to the war in Afghanistan. Talking about the war is a normal event between my girlfriend and I. In fact, it seems like conversation about the war is everywhere these days. Every radio and TV station describes what is going on in the Middle East as if we are talking about local high school football games. You can read about the war in great detail in almost every newspaper and blog out there without even realizing the gravity of the situation or, for that matter, the truth. Clothing stores even have a claim to the war momentum as they sale goods referencing uniforms of the armed forces. Store advertisements that spur buyers to purchase in the name of prosperity are now more exciting than they are controversial. We also have Hollywood feeding our needs of violence in powerful dramatic big bangs adventure movies where machines try to take over the world. It seems like everywhere we go the idea of violence is near and that everyone wears a gun around their neck. Violence has become so prevalent that we forget about its presence, in almost every way. So, why is it when an artist paints a gun on the side of a building and calls it a mural, the shit hits the fan.

Fair Use: Shepard Fairey vs the Associated Press

By Vaughn W. Garland

2009

Visual artist Shepard Fairey is currently suing, and is being counter-sued by, the Associated Press (AP) over the interpretation of Fair Use and Copyright. This case is being closely watched, as its outcome will arguably have an enormous impact on creative culture. At the same time, and in the same case, both Fairey and the AP are fighting for the rights of ownership, during a time when legal and ethical ownership are questionable and nebulous issues. Importantly, both sides of the argument in this case present philosophical, ideological and legal issues regarding the use of creative material.

Final Lab Notes MATX STUDIO LAB SPRING

By Vaughn W. Garland

2010

Over the past two semesters my interest in how the visual art object corresponds with its relation to the external language used to interpret, state, and or describe it. This interest has compelled me to examine the role of the object in comparison to the role of the language. Does the object rely on the documentation? Is the documentation a true knowledge source for the object? Is one documentation style more significant than another? Where would the document rest in juxtaposition to the object? Finally, can the document call for the death of the object, or vice versa? The question of the reliance of the object to the documentation solicits an inquiry into the notion of what is object and how the object might chance according to the language used to describe it.

It is my aim, and my hope, to illustrate that the document and the object are two separate articles of data that may at sometimes exist concurrently, but not always be limited by each other. I am more interested in objects that are in some ways become disassociated with their language: whether it be website that is hard to navigate, performance art like Tino Sehgal, who have created objects without the presence of a physical object, or imagery/sculpture where the attached apparatus of data given is not easily located. For Example, when one would conduct a Google search of the Mona Lisa, does the “Mona Lisa Restaurant” support the painting’s meaning? Does the website titled “Monitoring Agents using a Large Integrated Services Architecture (MonA LISA)” define what the Mona Lisa is? Or what if people put primacy on the document? Is seeing a postcard of the Mona Lisa equated to seeing the painting in person? Sometimes, the documents distract from the source.

Over the summer it is my aim to rework my website to build an online environment that, by function, is removed and disjointed from the idea of object. I want to focus on how one may be challenged by the notion of an object’s reliance on language or vice versa. It is my hope to submit a website for my eportfolio review that will challenge the notion of object and document.

“Ask Them”

Clement Greenberg and the 20th Century

By Vaughn W. Garland

2010

(not final draft)

It is my intention to illustrate how Greenberg’s formalist theory, which developed as a critical framework, may now be characterized as a discipline; the theory evolved to become a self-critical exchange of dialogue on the issues that rise out of Greenberg’s viewpoints on art and modernism in the 20th century. Due to Greenberg’s influence on the visual arts during the 20th century, it is fundamental to understand how his views, ideas, and critiques were, and continue to be, used as either ammunition for critical backlash, mantras for sustained reverence, or the basis for egotistical gibberish. Arguably there is no one person who had so much pull with artists, critics, theorists, and historians alike in the 20th century. Major modernist movements, such as Abstract Expressionism, Color Field, Hard Edge, Pop Art, Assemblage, and Minimalism, all function as either followers or reactionaries to Greenbergian formalism. Since we have moved into the 21st century, there continues to be a search for understanding concerning the full magnitude of Greenberg’s theoretical reach. His views still permeate critical literature, articles, lectures, and university course syllabi. I find it safe to say that Greenberg’s presence has not dwindled, but only has strengthened; therefore we need to ask if Greenberg’s theories have become so important that they have become discipline.

Toward Science or Technology: Rescuing The Space Between Gyorgy Kepes and Billy Kluver

By Vaughn W. Garland

2010

Comparing historical movements can be a daunting task. But, when it comes to defining the disparities between two cutting edge schools of thought from the 1960’s American art and technology/science movement, which many believe to be so interconnected, the task becomes even more difficult. In Anne Collins Goodyear’s article from the international journal Science in Context, the author establishes a justifiable objective for the paper; ultimately, however, she fails to successfully support her argument. In this analysis, I will not argue with Goodyear’s premise and purpose. I will assert, however, that her argument is one that should be researched and constructed further. I wish to approach Goodyear with a critical eye and reveal how her own argument does not go far enough.

Goodyear’s article addresses the misconceptions concerning how two influential systems of understanding are intertwined. Furthermore, she discusses the ways in which the two founders of these systems of understanding-- Gyorgy Kepes and Billy Kluver—are often incorrectly compared. Goodyear lays out her objective by saying, “while these two (Kepes and Kluver) are generally linked due to their similarities, a close examination demonstrates significant difference in their outlook.” (611). In many ways, Goodyear’s defense of her thesis is superficial. Trying to uncover how Kepes and Kluver are different, Goodyear ultimately reveals an argument that is based on surface relationships. While Goodyear’s article represents an important initial examination of these two figures and their theories, I think that there are some significant omissions.

Dissolution and the Industry of Culture: The History of the Flash Mob

By Vaughn W. Garland

2010

“In New York people will go where other people are just because other people are there.”

The above statement came from Mike Epstein during his June 20, 2003 interview with NPR’s Robert Siegel on All Things Considered. Mr. Epstein was referring to his participation in a recently held “strange” event that had just taken place three days before on June 17. In what is now considered the first successful flash mob, which was actually the second mob orchestrated by the then-unidentified mastermind known as “Bill,” more than 200 people, including Epstein, met at a local rug store on a specific date at a specific time (Epstein 2003).

Here’s what happened: Epstein had taken part in a mass email exchange network, which group leader “Bill” had started days before. Bill, who seemed to be just another interested party and not the individual who was orchestrating the event, asked his email friends to synchronize their watches with the US atomic clock. At 7 pm, participants were asked to meet at one of four local bars. In order to keep the main event secret, Bill asked each participant to go to one of the designated bars according to the individual’s birth month. (This is why the second mob was successful while the first was not. By the time the first mob had convened on its target location, the Manhattan police were already waiting. Unfortunately, the police had also received the strange first email from Bill concerning the whereabouts of the mob’s focal point and had decided that since a mob was to meet at this certain business something was up that might warrant their attention.) In the second mob, once people arrived at their specified bar, they received slips of paper instructing them of their next move.

So, here they all were, not knowing who in the room was participating in the mob or just in the bar because of the drinks.

Becoming Significant: Walter Benjamin’s Angel of History

By Vaughn W. Garland

2010

(Given as presentation)

How might I be able to start this presentation on Walter Benjamin? How can I try to grab the energy right off the bat of a person who began his renowned article on the collection of books as “I am unpacking my library. Yes, I am” (Benjamin, Walter 59). I wonder how many times scholars, critics, and Benjaminians have tried to use his witty words to jump into a conversation of their own. (Just researching this paper I have found more than enough.) What might I do to add to the conversation without adding to the heap of waste Benjamin himself commented on in his “Theses on the Philosophy of History?”

Walter Benjamin, since his death in 1940, has remained a cultural and literary champion. Scholars, critics, dialecticians, and historians have used Benjamin’s words, formats and concepts to define and describe a vast array of seemingly unrelated ideas: weather patterns, environmental destruction, book reviews, religious iconography and even criticism against or justifications for war. There are immeasurable numbers of responses to Benjamin’s writings.

This presentation, however, will focus directly on the definitions and descriptions that Benjamin himself struggled with in his own writing, in response to contemporary conditions and contexts, using as a primary example his idea of Angelus Novus, which ultimately appears as text IX of “Theses on the Philosophy of History.” A historical analysis of the metamorphosis of this idea illustrates the contradictory character of Benjamin’s philosophy. The strength of Benjamin is that we find ourselves in him; his angel becomes a history we use to define our own angels. But that is also the problem. Reading Benjamin’s text we see the dialectic process at work. The problem for us is that we know, through the misappropriations, the crossing of terms, and the parallels that become circular there is no way out of the dialectic. Why then, are we fine in it?

Etics and Emics in America: The Paintings of Michael Ray Charles

By Vaughn W. Garland

(Proposed December 2010)

Realizing Avant-garde and Kitsch: Theodor W. Adorno and Clement Greenberg, 1936 to 1941

By Vaughn W. Garland

(Proposed December 2010)

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