Strangers With A Camera Questions

Strangers With A Camera Questions

1. How did Hugh O'Connor's daughter find peace with her father's death? Would you have felt the same?
Hugh O’ Conner’s daughter was able to find peace with her father’s death by convincing herself that her father died for his art and message that poverty was a social issue that needed to be diminished.
I don’t think I would have felt the same if I was in her shoes. The reason why I don’t think I would be able to take her approach of accepting my father’s death, because I, unlike her do not forgive and forget too easily. I would have been consumed by anger directed at his murderers and at him for getting into a situation that lead to his death in the first place, rather then to find some, tragic beauty in the wake of his death.
2. Barret says that some filmmakers "wanted to show that contrast [between those who prospered from coal mining and those who didn't]to bring about social change. Others mined the images the way the companies had mined the coal? What does that say about the power of the visual image? What (if any) responsibility do filmmakers have toward their subjects?
Barret’s statement that “some filmmakers wanted to show that contrast, while others mined the images the way the companies had mined the coal," says that visual image can have a bias stance on the video or photography image to support the artist’s own personal argument rather then present the issue being explored in the image, in a way that supports neither or both sides of the argument.
The responsibility that film makers have towards their subjects is to ask for the person’s permission and to capture them on film that supports the film maker’s intent (even if that intent is slander), but doesn’t portray the subject in a way that could victimize the subject through embarrassment or criticism by their friends and neighbors for being too far fetched.

3. Colin Low, director of the Canadian Film Board, said the camera is invasive, exploitive and like a gun because it's threatening (42:23). What does he mean by that statement?
What are some specific steps you can take as a photographer/filmmaker when photographing a sensitive subject or social issue to make the camera less exploitive and invasive?
When Colin Low says that “the camera is invasive, exploitive and like a gun because it's threatening,” he means that the film maker wields a certain power when he uses the camera through the way he shoots and presents his subjects. He or she, can shoot the subject with a neutral, and non threatening outlook to the topic theme, a positive or negative outlook that can offend the viewers, create backlash and victimize the subjects for their poor portrayal in the movie or image.
The specific steps a photographer and film make can take to protect his or her subjects is to have the principal models sign wagers to document their permission to adhere to the director or principal photographer’s needs. The director or principal photographer can also place the model in a position (like sitting, engaged in play etc.) that can depict the controversy that he or she is trying to depict, without making accusations (the unfamished children eating food barbarically that Hugh O’Conner photographed for example), that won’t cause a full uproar from the subject’s community, friends, and neighbors. I’m sure that documenting the subject’s permission to release the images, as well as shooting the model or actor in a position that depicts the controversy, but appears to be realistic and setting would eliminate the dangers and the public uproar that Hugh O’Conner and his crew were unfortunate to experience in that Coal Mining town.

Project 1, Writer's Statement

Shannon Ryan'
February 21, 2009
New Millennium Studies, Section 10
Artist Statement

For my first New Millennium Studies Project, I decided to create a collage exploring the history of body piercing and the sociology of why people get piercing today.
I chose to make a poster board my artistic medium because I wanted to create a project that was thorough and to the point. In high school, many of my classmates used to design collages filled with cut out photos and textual quotes when they needed to present an extensive presentation that pieced together information that they did for a topic. Back then, I always thought that this approach was brilliant because depending on the student’s research or design, the project was very to the point because it highlighted all the important information. Thus, I decided that a collage was the best way to get my point across to my audience.
Another decision that I needed to consider was what to do for my topic. I knew that I wanted to focus my project around the second option, wearing your heart on your sleeve. I knew that I wanted to focus my topic around this concept because the idea that people show their emotions, feelings and opinions through the clothes and accessories they wear was an sociological concept I believed in my own understanding of human nature. However, I was unsure what I wanted my topic to be about. Should I make my subject about tattoos, piercings, the fascination with name brand stores or fashion trends in modern day society. Finally, I decided I wanted to focus my paper on the practice of body piercing and the reasons why people choose to get body piercings both today, and throughout history.
After choosing my topic, I set out to develop my topic and turned my attention to various websites and articles on the Internet in search of research. To be honest, I found myself slightly overwhelmed by the broad results of my research. After all there are at least a thousand psychological reasons why someone would decide to get a piercing in their ears, navel, above their eye lid, tongue and private parts. I considered my options and decided my topic would be best served by narrowing down the reasons in my topic. I chose to divide my project up between three historical reasons (a religious ritual, a status of wealth and in the days of piracy, pirates would get their ears pierced for work related purposes because they believed having their ears pierced would increase their eyesight). I also decided to choose four sociological reasons (to look tough, getting a piercing as a form of rebellion against authority particularly parent authority, to attract sexual appeal and peer pressures) to explain the popularity of this trend.
Furthermore, I decided to make the message of my piece that body piercing has never been done for the sake of “because I wanted one.” I decided to rely on my historical and sociological reasons to back up this point.
This meant, that I had to find photos that exemplified my reasoning. I began to check out all the various websites from Flicker to Yahoo, looking for images. Eventually, I convinced myself that the only way I could find images that suited my topic headings was to pretend that some of the female subjects did not have pierced ears. Thus, I found a picture of a father and daughter arguing to personify rebellion and a boy flirting with one girl and avoiding another on a couch to exemplify sexual appeal regardless of the subject’s pieced ears. To exemplify religion, I printed out photos of a religious symbol panorama, random tribunal ritual, a man wearing face paint and elaborate earrings. Around these images, I placed the photography evidence of the different kinds of piercings that supported each category further. I think that this success was solved, because of my final design of dividing up the photos and reasons into categories. I am very happy with the way this problem was solved.
Other effective things that I did in my project was placing textual content on the posterboard along with the images including my own reasons for getting my ears pierced, a cartoon spoof with two kids in a art museum commenting how Jesus is cool because the painting shows how he was pierced to the cross and several graphic images of piercings on a vagina and penis to get across to my audience how disgusting one can become when they take their freedom to pierce their body to far.
However, I think the my project’s most evident weakness was that in the end, the project appeared more like a informational poster board rather then a collage. This is because I eventually decided that I would rather that the final result was readable, rather then cover every space of white with an image the way a collage should be. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is a weakness in a way because the final result wound up not being the project I set out to create.
If I had to choose an artist and an artwork that closely resembles my piece, I think that Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe pop art comes closest. The reason why I reference this piece as a inspiration for my project is because Andy Warhol divided Marlyn’s project by two different colors in each print. My project operates in a similar way, except that I have divided each image cluster of the collage up by argument.
I wanted my audience to feel disgusted and awkward by the graphic photos and to personally reflect on the dangers of this type of piercing can have on their body, and what motivation one could possible have to get trademark on a sensitive part of their body. Regarding the rest of the reasons and images that the collage depicted, I wanted my audience to reflect on the piercings they may have, and ponder if they made that choice because of the pressure of society, to increase their sexual appeal, as a form of rebellion, to look as if they can handle any obstacles that comes their way, for religious purposes, as a status of wealth or for work related purposes. I think that in the end, my project succeeded in stimulating these reflections in my audience.
The guiding questions from the unit that this project addresses how does body piercing stimulate or decrease our self perception. The answer, according to my project is that when we get a part of our body pierced, our self perception increases. The project shows this through the images of the people looking happy that they have a piercing on the poster board. How do another’s perceive another person because of body piercing? According to the images that I have placed around the board (particularly in the “because everyone else is doing it” category), they are culturally accepted or according to the “to look tough” category), they are respected because of their appearance. The poster board also addresses the guiding question of whether we are alienated or accepted by society through the reflections of the audience. In conclusion, depending on the individual if someone were to get a piercing in a visible location (such as their ears, eyebrow, navel, tongue and lip if the person is rock musician or part of a “Goth crowed”), the new addition that they have made to their
body is cool (the exception being a parent as seen in the rebellion argument). However, if one were to make an addition on a private area, they alienate themselves in intimate relationships because the health risks are dangerous and the look its self, is gross. Finally, the collage addresses that the type of labels that body piercing will generate are “cool,” “tough,” “hot,” “part of the crowed” and “beautiful” or “ugly, “disgusting” and “gross” depending on where the piercing is located.
Finally, I do not think that this project was more or less difficult in contrast to past poster boards that I have completed for various classes in the past. It was certainly easier in some ways then other collages I have created because the information was more accessible. It was more difficult on the other hand, because I found too much information and had to narrow down my arguments, not to mention the fact that finding photos online proved to be more difficult then it was in past history, science and other classes. In the end however, I think the quality of my worth ethnic on this project and past assignments in high school had the same result. It was a plausible result.
I enjoyed creating this project. I also, can not wait to create more artistic projects that echo society issues over the course of New Millennium Studies this semester.

Persepolis Response 2

During an interview with the United Press, Marjane Strapi said, “the only thing I hope, is that people will read my book and see that this abstract thing, this axis of evil is made up of individuals with hopes and lives.” In the interdiction of her book Persepolis, she writes that she wrote the graphic novel as a way to show that Iran is not the only country that has terrorism, fundamentalism, and fanaticism. In other words, she was aiming to challenge the modern perceptions that Iran is one of the most dangerous and morally corrupted countries in the Middle East.
I think Marjane Strapi challenges this myth beautifully in Persepolis. By establishing the story from her point of view, Marjane humanizes our superstitions about the people of Iran. The fact that she begins her story by showing Iran’s gradual change in lifestyle during the course of the new regime and spends a great deal of story time showing her nuclear family talking about and reacting in positive and negative ways to the changes and threat of war establishes a sense of humanity for these people. Also, her plot mechanism to show many of the characters openly disagreeing with the government and living in silence and fear with a sense of powerless to stop the nation’s violence after witnessing many people who they admire and love suffer for exercising the prohibited freedom of speech, reminds her worldwide audience that the physiology of the Iran people isn’t too different from their own. It winds up being a successful storytelling approach.
I think Persepolis confirms and dispels my opinions about Iran. It confirms my opinion that Iran is a warlike country with a religious influence. It confirms the legends that I have heard that the wars in the Middle East are fought against other countries and themselves for no other reason except that the government believes that it is the only method to satisfy squabbles. However, Marjane Strapi’s book also dispels many of my views about Iran as well by solely reminding me that not all people are in the Middle East are bad and even though I may not agree with many of the approaches in the Middle East, the people there also have a souls, families, jobs and everyday lives as well. Furthermore, Persepolis opened my eyes and allowed me to discover that many individuals in Iran don’t agree with their government either, but feel powerless and afraid to stop their government’s corruption.
Persepolis deepened my knowledge of Iran’s history. It also allowed me the opportunity to understand the psychology and sociology of the Iran society and why they would be submissive to such a controlling government (I now understand that it is because they are afraid). While the novel doesn’t do much to change my opinions of Iran’s government today, the book does allow me to sympathize for the people who unlike Marjane, are still living there today.

Image to accompany project proposal

see the following site:

http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/units/cartoon_satire/body_piercing.html

Project Proposal

For my first New Millennium Studies project, I plan to create a collogue of images that demonstrates how body piercing (ear, navel, tongue, nose etc.) depicts a person’s feelings and “heart on their sleeve.”
Through the pictures that I will present in my collogue, I will attempt to explore how the piercing trend was historically started to demonstrate wealth, beauty and power before younger generation began to use it as a way to rebel against feelings of oppression and authority. . I will further explain that although rebellion is the chief cause of piercing amongst the younger generation, many also decide to get a part of their body pierced to further their sex appeal to the opposite sex, because it makes them appear more “tough” or because of the pressure that everyone else is doing it.
The guiding questions about identity that my topic are how does body piercing stimulate or decrease our self perception? How do others view one because of body piercing? What assumptions does one make about another person because of body piercing and what labels does body piercing generate? The final question I will attempt to answer is how does piercing alienate or connect us to society.
The intention of my project in regards to my audience is to allow them to reflect on their own opinions of why so many members of society get body piercings, and what they think it adds to a person’s self image. I hope to accomplish this without infuriating the members of my audience who already have piercings.

3 Persepolis Questions

1. What is the religious symbolism of the veil and why did the new Iran government oppose so many products (example: tape cassettes, alcohol, perfume, sneakers, posters for example) and trends (allowing women's hair    to show in the street,allowing the people to wear whatever clothes they wanted in the street, allowing men to    shave their beards etc.) from Europe and West? 

2. Why is it that Marjane's father discloses the truth about Mehri's social class to the neighbor 

(also Mehri's boyfriend) and say that he was staying true to the Caste System,when for the majority of the book he appears to be for equal rights between the classes? 

3. Why did the government bomb the home of the Baba-Leveys' just because their religion was Jewish? 

Identity Essay