At night, “the city’s capital wealth stands in bright contrast to the dark poverty that engulfs many of LA’s people.” My thesis statement is the last textual frame of the six minute video comprised mostly of phographs taken on the streets of Los Angeles, October 17th and 25th, 2010. The photography argues the conclusion I finally reached and state clearly at the end of the video as if the thesis emerged from the thought process from gradually being shown the images. One advantage that video as a medium has over conventional academic writing is the ability to subvert the arrogance of scholarly paper methods and spin them on their heads. This is an important point since most people do not read those papers published for and by the academy. In addition, standard research papers are boring as well as hopelessly chained at the ankle to exclusionary intellectualism. Meanwhile, images speak in a more popular, free-flowing vernacular. Text can be used to guide the argument and the pictures facilitate the foreshadowing of a concluding thesis statement. The mood and context of the video is first set with the quote, “In 2008, for the first time in history, more people will live in cities than in rural areas…poverty is urbanizing at break neck speed,” from The Places We Live. I turn my camera upon the city where I used to work. I turn the camera on myself. Then I invite you to get in the car with me and my friend and our cameras, to come along for the ride and prove or disprove that quote by heading towards the city lights. Where there are grand monumental buildings looming in the far-off horizon upon a closer look at their base reveals great economic inequality. I define my method, key vocabulary (commodity), and establish a critique of the paradoxes between extremly affluent buildings and dire homelessness, public v. private spaces, outside v. insider, neon-city lights v. darkness. Next I shift gears, and accelerate us into a self-reflection about the power of holding the camera. Although we are not homeless, we too struggle against becoming commodified by capitalism. To escape the capitalist system, we turn to art for alternative paradigms to explain the world in which we live. “In Heidegger’s terms then, the principle role of a work of art is to provide a conduit, an umbilical cord if you wish, to everything else.” Finally, we turn back and realize that even the camera is only partially revealing the truth, as it only captures a ‘photochemical permeation.’ This leaves us to the awareness that we may not prove that we are unbiased but, LA is captured in a particularly colloquial way about urban homelessness in stark contrast to extravagent corporate property.
I like your writing here, and am wondering why you put it in comments, where many of your viewers won't see it. It opens your piece up in appropriate ways: without it the ideas are apparent, with it, they are grounded. This said, I think the work's biggest strength is the beauty of the images, and the way their aesthetic creates your voice, and thus a distinct positionality that marks itself and its difference. However, I worry there is currently a different problem with voice in the piece (within its words) in that they are quite varied (some texts are credited with the name of a book, some an author, some nothing, are these your words?) Also there is a creep in this discourse (including above) between "we" which seems to mean the educated, the artist, the homed, and an implied "them," the homeless, the other, the seen, but why couldn't these very same homeless also be watching or writing or theorizing? Sometimes, then again, you say "I" which I prefer. I like that we saw you once, and might want to end with us seeing you again.
I really enjoy your film. Being from LA and knowing some of the homeless people that live near Pershing Square I appreciate what the film is about. The contrast between the lights and the beauty of the LA Night Scene with the residents of the city that live on the streets is powerful.
The Music FYI is from La native DJ Flying Lotus off of his 2 hours live performance for the BBC's Essential Mix Radio Show featuring host Pete Tong.
ReplyDeleteAbstract to “LA Streets after Sundown”
ReplyDeleteAt night, “the city’s capital wealth stands in bright contrast to the dark poverty that engulfs many of LA’s people.” My thesis statement is the last textual frame of the six minute video comprised mostly of phographs taken on the streets of Los Angeles, October 17th and 25th, 2010. The photography argues the conclusion I finally reached and state clearly at the end of the video as if the thesis emerged from the thought process from gradually being shown the images. One advantage that video as a medium has over conventional academic writing is the ability to subvert the arrogance of scholarly paper methods and spin them on their heads. This is an important point since most people do not read those papers published for and by the academy. In addition, standard research papers are boring as well as hopelessly chained at the ankle to exclusionary intellectualism. Meanwhile, images speak in a more popular, free-flowing vernacular. Text can be used to guide the argument and the pictures facilitate the foreshadowing of a concluding thesis statement.
The mood and context of the video is first set with the quote, “In 2008, for the first time in history, more people will live in cities than in rural areas…poverty is urbanizing at break neck speed,” from The Places We Live. I turn my camera upon the city where I used to work. I turn the camera on myself. Then I invite you to get in the car with me and my friend and our cameras, to come along for the ride and prove or disprove that quote by heading towards the city lights. Where there are grand monumental buildings looming in the far-off horizon upon a closer look at their base reveals great economic inequality. I define my method, key vocabulary (commodity), and establish a critique of the paradoxes between extremly affluent buildings and dire homelessness, public v. private spaces, outside v. insider, neon-city lights v. darkness. Next I shift gears, and accelerate us into a self-reflection about the power of holding the camera. Although we are not homeless, we too struggle against becoming commodified by capitalism. To escape the capitalist system, we turn to art for alternative paradigms to explain the world in which we live. “In Heidegger’s terms then, the principle role of a work of art is to provide a conduit, an umbilical cord if you wish, to everything else.” Finally, we turn back and realize that even the camera is only partially revealing the truth, as it only captures a ‘photochemical permeation.’ This leaves us to the awareness that we may not prove that we are unbiased but, LA is captured in a particularly colloquial way about urban homelessness in stark contrast to extravagent corporate property.
Debbie:
ReplyDeleteI like your writing here, and am wondering why you put it in comments, where many of your viewers won't see it. It opens your piece up in appropriate ways: without it the ideas are apparent, with it, they are grounded.
This said, I think the work's biggest strength is the beauty of the images, and the way their aesthetic creates your voice, and thus a distinct positionality that marks itself and its difference. However, I worry there is currently a different problem with voice in the piece (within its words) in that they are quite varied (some texts are credited with the name of a book, some an author, some nothing, are these your words?) Also there is a creep in this discourse (including above) between "we" which seems to mean the educated, the artist, the homed, and an implied "them," the homeless, the other, the seen, but why couldn't these very same homeless also be watching or writing or theorizing? Sometimes, then again, you say "I" which I prefer. I like that we saw you once, and might want to end with us seeing you again.
I really enjoy your film. Being from LA and knowing some of the homeless people that live near Pershing Square I appreciate what the film is about. The contrast between the lights and the beauty of the LA Night Scene with the residents of the city that live on the streets is powerful.
ReplyDelete