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In Readdress Gallery, Dettmer deconstructs, reconfigures and examines Bush’s 2002 State of the Union Address by using digital sound programs
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Artists
have always been on the sidelines of the political arena; not really
participating, but playing a vital role in taking the pulse of the cultural
subconscious.
Politics
as Usual, a recent group exhibition at the Aron Packer Gallery in Chicago,
Illinois, USA, is one of many current contemporary art exhibitions in America
featuring works of an especially political nature. This particular exhibition
showcases works of various degrees of political specificity as well as offers
the viewer a chance to experience differing mediums. One thing that the works
represented in Politics as Usual do have in common, however, is a
critical stance towards the current administration. According to the Aron Packer
Gallery website, all of the artists in this exhibition “strive to get their
viewers to re-examine both their notion of what our current cultural context
truly means as well as their individual roles within that context.”
Among
the artists participating in this exhibition is the controversial Chicago-based
artist and graphic designer Brian Dettmer, and the equally polemic Los
Angeles-based artist and screenwriter Sean Sorensen.
In
Dettmer’s ReAddress, he cleverly engages the gallery goers aural
faculty by taking the words right out of George W. Bush’s mouth. Using digital
sound programs, Dettmer deconstructs, reconfigures and examines Bush’s 2002
State of the Union Address.
ReAddress
was created through the dissection of a short clip from the 2002 address. Each
recorded word or language segment was divided into separate digital files.
Dettmer sums up the process: “A few minute minutes of recorded sound became
hundreds of separate audio files that become recontextualized when played
randomly through a computer media player. New word streams, phrases, and
meanings emerge as the language continuously re-structures in real time.”
ReAddress
proves to be an especially potent piece due to the fact that it puts nearly all
visual information to the wayside. Taking advantage of the listener’s
familiarity with mass media allows the artist to communicate in terms of real
events. The spectator does not need a trained eye to understand what they are
engaging, but can feel comfortable evaluating and reflecting upon this work in a
context other than that of traditional “fine art”, which can be daunting to
many.
In
an interview, Dettmer says that when he created this piece, 9/11 was still very
fresh in everyone’s heads. He felt that “there was a lot of confusion and
concern in the average American, and unfortunately, we have a leadership that
utilized that confusion through speeches and empty language to increase the
dependency the average American puts on the president.”
Interestingly,
Dettmer’s re-arranged sound bites sound strangely similar to the sound
bite-size bits of information that we get when watching the news (and make about
as much sense).
As
the words unfold randomly, one may hear an incoherent message, or he may hear
what he hears everyday: empty jargon, bad grammar, confusing messages.
Although
Dettmer’s work was well received by gallery visitors, when it was first
presented elsewhere last year, it had to be removed after a few short days. The
piece was shown as part of a public sound installation in a highly trafficked
part of downtown Chicago. “Within a few days,” says Dettmer, “the building
developer that owned the construction canopy had received so many irate calls
that they had requested it be taken down immediately….Supporters of Bush were
outraged because they felt it was disrespectful and non-supporters were offended
because they didn’t want to have to hear his voice every morning.”
Another
controversial work represented in Politics as Usual is that of Los
Angeles-based artist and screenwriter, Sean Sorensen. Sorensen’s work is
something of an exploration for him into a topic that many are trying to gain a
better understanding of. Certainly his collection of works entitled American
Burqa are enough to leave viewers with something to ponder. The 24
screen-printed burqas on display at the Aron Packer Gallery are adorned with
labels from corporate America—Starbucks, Shell, I Love N.Y. to name a few.
Upon
initially viewing these works, one might have a hard time gauging exactly what
Sorensen’s political views are, but in all actuality, the work is not about
taking sides. “These burqas are merely artistic investigations,” says
Sorensen. Nothing can be more honest than that.
Sorensen’s
work reflects upon a period shortly after 9/11 and the U.S. invasion of
Afghanistan (when, consequently, many Americans learned what a burqa is). In
this body of work he explores the idea of the Americanized burqa as a metaphor
for the relationship between the United States and the Arab world. What kind of
influence are American capitalistic powers having on cultures of Middle Eastern
countries? How do these powers manifest their dominance?
It
would seem to anyone that due to the general controversy surrounding the burqa
in the United States, Sorensen would have been in for some harsh criticism when
it came to the exhibition of these garments. However, contrary to this
assumption, American Burqa has been received with humor.
Sorensen’s
work is also receiving vast media attention. Earlier this week, American
Burqa traveled through downtown Chicago to the Daley Center and the State of
Illinois building. The event was covered by the Chicago’s Channel 11 and will
also be broadcast on cable.
So,
is art a successful form of communication? Sorensen thinks not. And generally,
art ends up being an ongoing conversation among artists. But it does have the
ability to open up a dialogue that may have never been or would otherwise be
ignored.
For
more information on Politics as Usual, contact the Aron Packer Gallery,
118 N Peoria, Chicago, IL 60607. Telephone: (312) 226-8984 or visit their
website at www.aronpacker.com.
To
learn more about the work of Sean Sorensen, visit www.legitimateart.com.
And
for more on Dettmer’s public sound piece, visit www.hydeparkart.org.
