Archive for the ‘critical_perspectives’ Category
EXCESS NYC Documentation
EXCESS is a community-based art project that investigates the large amounts of organic waste in urban centers and creatively employs new tactics to divert food from landfill and back to people to consume or compost. Can we make smarter urban infrastructure where edible food gets eaten, organic waste is turned into compost, compost is used to remediate contaminated lots, vacant lots are transformed into gardens and cities save money while reducing greenhouse emissions? EXCESS NYC is currently active in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
The food rescue and composting bike will be circulating in downtown Stamford, CT in conjunction with the exhibition Strange Invitation at Franklin Street Works.
EXCESS at Just Food Conference 2013
Today at 10:30am Brooke and I are presenting our neighborhood composting project at the Just Food Conference as part of MAKING ART WITH FOOD IN MIND (ENGAGING NYC COMMUNITIES) panel. We’ve made an initial video cut documenting the project thus far that we’ll be presenting as an introduction and then briefly describe where we are at and how we are moving forward with EXCESS NYC.
EXCEDENTES/EXCESS 2011-2013 from Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga on Vimeo.
About the panel:
10:30-11:45am
Food & Finance High School (Sign outside of the building reads Park West High School)
525 West 50th Street, New York, NY
MAKING ART WITH FOOD IN MIND (ENGAGING NYC COMMUNITIES)
For centuries artists have given us new ways of seeing the world around us through the lens of food. The last decade has been especially rich as artists respond to the challenges and concerns of feeding ourselves by creating models that are local, sustainable and community-oriented. In this workshop, visual artists will offer practical advice on using food creatively while fostering social change.
Speakers: Atom Cianfarani, Co-Author of A Roof Grows in Brooklyn: The Do-It-Yourself Green Roof Workbook; Jason Gaspar, Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum; Lisa Gross, Boston Tree Party; Brooke Singer & Ricardo Miranda Zuniga, collaborating artists on “Excess NYC”; Tattfoo Tan, artist
El Anatsui at the Brooklyn Museum
Following a visit to El Anatsui’s exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum (on view through August 14th) a friend commented – what a great shtick – use discarded material and unskilled labor to produce large scale work that can be folded for easy travel in a globalized art market. I’m paraphrasing here, but the point is clear – the work is formulaic and beautifully executed as high-end commodity. My friend is a Filipino-American artist/academic well versed in post-colonial studies and critical culture. El Anatsui is an African artist born in Ghana, working in Nsukka, Nigeria and trained in Western European Art. The brilliance of the work is applying minimalist conventions while using non-Western materials to create large scale abstraction. It is mesmerizingly beautiful to look at and various meanings may be allotted to the work – so it is aesthetic with theoretical potential.
The minimalist conventions include the use of least possible materials and repetition to create the maximum effect by using discarded mass produced materials such as lids from tin cans, bottle caps, newspaper printing plates… As the mass-produced products are from Nigeria or other African countries, the work presents a distinct quality from parallel work created by U.S. and European artists using recycled American and Western products. The unfamiliar labels and unique colors of these discarded elements adds a veil of the other for a Western art audience. All this said, there is plenty of reason to praise the work – it is aesthetically beautiful, unique, grand in scale, works from a distance as well as up close, reflects waste while recycling the waste and the artist brings racial diversity to a still all too white art world.
In the end, I’m writing about the work because I find it problematic. El Anatsui is embraced by the Art World and in his work, I perceive the colonizing effects of Western Art and Art History. By combining his Western Art training with the products of his culture, he has established a unique niche. In the end the work doesn’t move me. I don’t feel that the various pieces present an entry point. They are nice big objects, neat to look at for a bit, but with little resonance. If I was an art collector, on the other hand, I’m sure I’d buy in to it and see both it’s material and constructed cultural value.
Click on the images below to view at larger dimensions.
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum
Final Weekend of ReGeneration at NY Hall of Science
Child playing “a geography of being | una geografia de ser” at the NY Hall of Science
This the final weekend of the exhibition ReGeneration at the NY Hall of Science in Corona Park. Various events and workshops will be occurring today. Catch the show before it comes down! Click here for more information on ReGeneration
The exhibition features my own “a geography of being : una geografia de ser” – an interactive art installation that reflects upon the dynamics of the undocumented immigrant population in the United States, specifically in relation to undocumented youth. The installation consists of wooden kinetic sculptures with animated displays titled “Undocumented Drones” and a video game that places the player in the role of an undocumented youth that must face several challenges in the search for self-determination beyond the imposed constraints of citizenry. View Documentation of the Installation. Or play the game online.
A Discussion Surrounding Immigrant Education and the Right to College
In the article that follows, blogger Rachel Higgins provides an objective analysis of an often polarizing topic: the hotly debated DREAM Act and what rights, if any, illegal immigrants should have when it comes to securing federal money for college. Structural Patterns has looked at many of the issues art students face when choosing a school, but has rarely touched on the politics of that choice. As Rachel explains, how these issues are resolved may have long-lasting impacts on both students and programs. Rachel often writes about pressing issues in education, though she spends the bulk of her time editing a website for students interested in earning a quality degree on the Internet.
A Discussion Surrounding Immigrant Education and the Right to College
Illegal immigration to the United States has been a long-standing issue in this country – but in recent years, the DREAM Act has polarized the topic even further. Proponents of the bill have lauded its creators for implementing a system by which undocumented aliens can receive an education and contribute to the national economy, while detractors argue that individuals who enter the country illegally have no right to the same privileges afforded to legal citizens.
Introduced in 2001 by Senators Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act provides citizenship to illegal immigrants who entered the United States as minors, completed their high school education, and lived in-country at least five years before the bill was adopted. The conditional residency is extended to six years if the citizen either serves two or more years in the U.S. military or completes at least half of a four-year college degree program. Since he took office in 2008, President Obama has been an active supporter of the bill’s provisions. His latest measure came in June 2012, when he sidestepped Congress to defer deportation of undocumented citizens who met the necessary criteria.
As President Obama and his Republican rivals have argued over the DREAM Act, state-level support for illegal immigrants who wish to earn a college degree remains stagnant. While California successfully passed an initiative last year to allocate a set amount of financial aid to undocumented alien youths, other states have been forced to take alternative routes. In New York, for instance, initiatives to provide financial aid to undocumented citizens who wish to attend college have stalled. This has led several advocacy groups to create the state’s first scholarship program for illegal aliens; thanks to heavy contributions from a number of private donors and non-profit organizations (most notably the Fund for Public Advocacy), a handful of undergraduates in New York City’s university system will receive roughly $2,000 per semester. And in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry has supported measures that provide reduced tuition for more than 32,000 undocumented students; however, Perry’s proviso forces beneficiaries to pledge to obtain legal status within three years after graduation, as opposed to the federal act that grants citizenship amnesty. Supporters of illegal immigrant rights touted Perry’s plan, but most of his Republican colleagues argued against it – and the issue may have contributed to Perry losing the Republican primary appointment that instead went to Mitt Romney.
Supporters of the DREAM Act argue that the entire country benefits from measures that ensure education for all citizens, legal and illegal. “[The DREAM Act will] play an important part in the nation’s efforts to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently noted, adding that a higher number of educated citizens will bolster America’s standing within the global economy. The initiative also creates a wider recruitment pool for the U.S. military, and allows the Department of Homeland Security to devote more resources toward the deportation of individuals who actually pose a threat to national security. Finally, a recent study conducted by researchers at UCLA found that complete enactment of the initiative would boost the national economy by as much as $3.6 trillion in taxable income; in its present form, the DREAM Act cuts the federal deficit by $1.4 billion and will increase federal revenue by as much as $2.3 billion over the next decade.
But as John Hudson of The Atlantic Wire recently wrote, the DREAM Act has endured a large amount of opposition from conservative politicos. John Frum of The Week characterized the bill as a “deceptive piece of legislation with very sinister consequences” intended to mobilize Latino voters without producing the results they collectively desire; he also noted that the act essentially encourages immigrants to enter the country illegally on behalf of their children, who would face little to no penalties for their parents’ illicit actions. Mark Krikorian of National Review also referenced the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, by which a quarter of the beneficiaries were awarded amnesty under fraudulent pretenses. One such beneficiary, Mahmud Abouhalima, later masterminded the first World Trade Center bombing. And Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies noted that the DREAM Act is inherently expensive; if each immigrant received $6,000 per year in tuition subsidies, he argued, then the measure would cost U.S. taxpayers as much as $6.2 billion per year.
The latter topic – cost to federal taxpayers – has been a major talking point between supporters and opponents of the DREAM Act, with both sides citing different figures to bolster their claims. But as Rachel Leven recently wrote in Duke University’s Sanford Journal of Public Policy, the budget for U.S. citizenship activities is primarily financed through fees paid by immigrants; deferral applicants each pay $465, and the federal government estimated in August 2012 that the total amount generated from these applications would fall between $467 million and $585 million. Leven also noted that applying for deferral does not guarantee it will be awarded. Furthermore, a study conducted by the Center for American Progress earlier this month found that the 2.1 million beneficiaries under the most recently proposed version of the bill would generate $329 billion for the national economy, while passage of the act would create 1.4 million new jobs by 2030.
Despite Republican opposition claiming the DREAM Act is too expensive to enact in the United States, these studies reveal that the measure could greatly benefit the American economy in the long term. And in the process, millions of minors who were brought to this country illegally through no fault of their own have been granted the opportunity to receive an education and compete in the job market.
Rachel Higgins
NBA League Pass Broadband Is Fraud
UPDATE: After requesting a refund for my purchase of NBA League Pass Broadband, the purchase was promptly and fully refunded. However, I still consider it fraudulent that on the offering page it is not clearly articulated that only some games will be available. Instead the offer misleads the reader to believe that all games of the teams that one selects will be available. Therefore, I’m leaving the article below unedited, because people should not be mislead into a bad purchase.
I don’t have a television, so I don’t have cable channels such as TNT nor do I have network channels such as ABC. I would like to watch NBA games without having to watch poor streams from Europe or walk to the neighborhood bar. So when I saw the NBA League Pass Broadband that would allow me to watch 5 NBA teams play live games in high definition picture, mosaic view – 4 games at once… I paid the first of five installments of $26.99 to select 5 teams to watch live online. Below is the offer that I signed up for.
After I paid, I logged in to watch OKC versus San Antonio, but I couldn’t watch the game, I could only listen to it. The screen told me to watch on TNT, so I went to the TNT website thinking that perhaps I could watch it there with my new $27 a month league pass. But I couldn’t watch it online there either. I needed a television with cable to watch the game on TNT. Today, I wanted to watch the Knicks versus Heat and once again, I could only listen to it. Later, I’d like to watch Lakers versus Clippers, but that is also available as audio… I can’t watch it via broadband live as advertised. Below is the screen of my choices… the two games that I’d like to watch are only available as audio.
NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND IS A LIE. Of the three games that I’ve wanted to watch in the 24 hours since paying $27, not one is available as live broadband video. Don’t give them money, just watch the free European feeds, they work and they are free! I just watched the Knicks wrap up their win over the Heat via European feed. I want my money back for the service that you offer but fail to provide!
Undocumented Drones at New York Hall of Science
Last Thursday, October 25th was the celebration for the opening of ReGeneration, an exhibition at the New York Hall of Science in Corona Park, Queens that will be on view through January 13th. I will be writing one or more extended articles regarding the works in the exhibition. Meanwhile, I am posting a video of the Undocumented Drones being installed at the Hall of Science as part of my installation titled “a geography of being : una geografia de ser”. This is an installation comprised of a video game and three wooden figures with screens and motors that are networked to the game. The figures or undocumented drones help the player along through the game at specific points. Each figure has a corresponding icon on the game screen that tells the player that the small robot has a message. If necessary, the player may step away from the game to view the undocumented drone’s embedded screen for instructions.
Interview at Matadero Madrid
Following the public opening of El Ranchito at Matadero Madrid in December, the Ranchito team conducted an interview regarding our collaboration for the project EXCEDENTES/EXCESS. Below is the interview.
New York Arts Practicum Announcement
New York Arts Practicum is an experiential summer program in New York City where advanced undergraduates, recent graduates, and graduate students participate in artmaking and intellectual culture outside of the traditional confines of the art school. The program centers around an internship with an active artist, a studio seminar, and weekly site visits to artist studios, galleries, and museums.
Through the intensive process of working with an artist on a day-to-day basis, students gain a view of their near futures as artists, learning models for negotiating a creative life outside of school in an expanded field of art prduction. The Practicum mentors are as follows (with three more to be added shortly): David Horvitz, Eva and Franco Mattes, Mark Tribe, Caroline Woolard, and Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga.
The critique/seminar and site visits reinvigorate the art student’s conventional modes of study.
Critique: Participants develop alternate strategies for creating work for critique without institutional studio facilities
Seminar: Visiting Faculty lead seminar on a set of readings related to their own practice. Visiting Artists in the seminar are: Steve Lambert, Trevor Paglen, Penelope Umbrico, and The Yes Men.
Art History/Contemporary Practices: Program Director Michael Mandiberg guides visits to galleries and museums, many of which will include conversations with curators and gallerists. Art and its contexts will be encountered and engaged with directly.
The 8 week New York Arts Practicum begins June 25th and ends August 17th, 2012. Application review begins April 2nd; application deadline April 16th.
Tuition is $2900, with some need-based financial aid available.
Academic credit is earned through arrangements with students’ home institutions.
For general questions please see the FAQ, and please contact us with specific questions.
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Public Broadcast Cart in fall 2011 Art Journal
Sarah Kanouse has published an excellent essay on radio as art practice in the public space. The essay “Take It to the Air: Radio as Public Art” is printed in the fall 2011 Art Journal and discusses three different art projects utilizing radio as the primary medium. Following the introduction, Sarah discusses the work of Jon Brumit and Neighborhood Public Radio, my own Public Broadcast Cart and the work of art collective LIGNA. The final wrap up of the essay is quite inspiring:
In these projects, radio is a prosthetic technology that transmits the physical world into the space of electronic communications and materializes the vast space of electromagnetic resources into something material and physically apprehensible. In so doing, it forces a confrontation with and contestation of the rules that govern and control the use of both spaces, positioning radio for creative interventions in manifold public spaces – not only those we inhabit with our bodies, as much of the best public art does, but also those we inhabit with our passions, our excesses, our energies, and our speech.