Women's Activism Project

So far, image collection has been going very well so far. At the beginning of this project, I was worried about how and what I would actually be able to photography during the pandemic. So far I have been very lucky to attend the Women's March in Raleigh for Phase 1 and I have had success in using symbols to represent the dangers of unsafe abortions for Phase 2.

I have had a challenge in my fundraising but it is still early on. I plan to address this by updating the GoFundMe page more often and posting more about it to keep it in the view of the public.

In her essay, "A Place Where the Soul Can Rest", bell hooks talks about how the street corner belongs to the men, that women must be "endlessly moving or enclosed" (hooks, 143). For generations, women have been underestimated and told where and how they belong by men. While my project is more focused on reproductive rights rather than gender roles, there is a connection in the oppression of women by men on both fronts. Women should have the choice and opportunities for belonging in any field of work, in a city or on a farm, anywhere. Women should also be able to decide what is best for their reproductive health without outside pressures and restrictions.

hooks, bell. Belonging: a Culture of Place. Routledge, 2019.

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Image Experimentation

This image would normally be a crisp black and white image. I have changed it to have a red tint and slight blur that makes it seem like you are looking through the eyes of the disoriented. It makes the image feel that more gory.

This image varies greatly because I have been focused on only minor touch-ups on the March Images. I have distorted this image greatly and added a fringe effect that creates the rainbow layers.

This would normally be crisp black and white. I have inverted the image and added a slight pinkish tone. And then I layered in leaks of red like hellfire or blood.

Belonging

-bell hooks-

bell hooks said she needed "to live where I can walk," that she needed to have a connection with nature to feel like she belongs (hooks, 2). Nature is what keeps her grounded and spiritually connected. This place is often rural and in the South. Although she feels a belonging in the region where she is surrounded by nature, racial prejudice against her often challenges that sense of belonging, of being welcomed. She notes that part of this continued racism and prejudice comes from white supremacy and "residential segregation" that is enforced by internalized fear of white Americans by African Americans and a sense of safety among other African Americans (hooks, 72).

-Me-

In a twisted sense, I need to feel love/comfort and suffering/pain to feel like I belong, they must co-exist in my environment and even my relationship. A part of me deep down, a nagging in the back of my head makes me feel like I cannot belong within a setting that is all love/comfort, there has to be some kind of suffering/pain. My images this week show both of these needs. It is not one or the other, but the balance of the two.

It can be challenging to meet these needs, but there is always a way. When that part of me decides I am too comfortable, to happy it self-creates suffering, self-sabotages that happiness and comfort. There are also challenges in reverse, but it is harder to balance the suffering/pain by adding love and comfort. That usually comes in the form of a loved one or the chance encounter with a dog.

Pain/Suffering - Taste

Comfort/Love - Smell

Pain/Suffering - Sight

Pain/Suffering - Sound

Comfort/Love - Touch

Reproduction and Abortion Rights - Image Series C

 

Tonika Lewis Johnson’s Folded MapTM

 Tonika Lewis Johnson’s Folded Map^TM connects people of matching addresses in North and South Chicago to show urban segregation looks within the city. Johnson’s goal was to create a dialogue about the effects of a socially and racially segregated city. Her project has brought on awareness of the issues as pushes for change and a solution. The project is still being worked on by Johnson and the images can be seen on https://www.foldedmapproject.com/tonika-bio.

Earlier this month, well-known photographer Alec Soth’s work “The Great Divide” was commissioned and published in The New York Times juxtaposing different areas in Chicago. Finding it almost identical to her work, Johnson accused Alec Soth “of copying her trademarked photography series” (Seymour). While Soth apologized, he said "From what I can tell, Tonika Johnson’s work has nothing to do with Streeterville. Her work is about comparing two addresses, one on the North Side of Chicago and one on the South. Streeterville is downtown. Moreover, I wasn’t making side-by-side comparisons. My photographs were only arranged as pairs by the photo editors, but they aren’t linked as addresses" (Seymour). Yes, to his credit they are exactly the same, the concept and idea bear a striking resemblance to the Folded MapTM project.

Seymour, Tom. Magnum Photographer Alec Soth Defends Similarities with Work by Chicago Artist     Tonika Johnson. 15 Sept. 2020, www.theartnewspaper.com/news/magnum-photographer-alec-soth-may-face-legal-action-after-plagiarism-claim-from-chicago-artist-tonika-johnson.

"Address Pairs"

I was not expecting to learn how resistant Alec Soth was to truly accept fault with his comments on the situation, he beats around the bush without actually apologizing. I would expect better from a well-known photographer with influence in the industry to set a better example and understand the importance of Johnson’s project and what it stood for.

Overpopulation, Spay/Neuter, & Marcus Bleasdale

Animal overpopulation is the oversaturation of animals in communities and shelters when there are more animals than time and resources can handle and because of that, so many animals are euthanized each year. At the root of this issue is the lack of enforcing spay and neuter practices to prevent accidental litters and control populations.

Montgomery County 2019 numbers: Dogs In 1936, Out 552, Euthanized 1384. Cats In 1312, Out 114, Euthanized 1198. Raccoons In 64, Out 0, Euthanized 64. Opossums In 55, Out 0, Euthanized 55. Montgomery County 2014 number: Dogs In 843, Out 415, Euthanized 428. Cats In 369, Out 36, Euthanized 333. 

The idea that “they’re just something you have in your yard” and that they are replaceable property is a common belief in the South and in agricultural counties like Montgomery County (Dogland, 46). It is also very uncommon to spay or neuter animals especially when it is believed that “an intact dog was meaner” and that what was preferred in some cases (Dogland, 46). From 2014 to 2019 we still see a majority of the cats and dogs that come in being euthanized just on a bigger scale, that increase in animal intake is most likely a result of so many accidental litters that come from these pets that are not spayed or neutered. There are just too many animals coming in, the shelter gets overwhelmed, and it’s the animals that pay the price.

 I would address spay/neuter programs because it is the root of the overpopulation of animals. If we want to tackle this issue, we have to start at the source. If I had to time and resources, I would want to photography a series of animals and their quality of life before and after being spayed or neutered to show the positive impact it has on the life and health of the animal. Marcus Bleasdale’s work showing the realities in areas of conflict and where human rights are oppressed have been shown in the Senate and at the UN to influence decision making on national and global policies.

Marcus Bleasdale, Machete collected by African Union troops in the disarmament process, https://www.marcusbleasdale.com/unravelling-gallery/lj2kp1brni1y4ul1tlcsha70xm4veb

Alicia, A Loved One

Mary Ellen Mark

    Activism is more than taking a photograph of challenging situations or painful truths, it is what you do with that image afterward that makes it activism. It's taking that photograph and showing it to the world and demanding change and action from its viewers.

     I was inspired by Mary Ellen Mark who using photography to documents the poor and disenfranchised without belittling them or their way of life. In her work Streetwise, Mark follows runways in Seattle, Washington and photographs the good, the bad, and the complexities that come with being human. The change she creates with her work comes in a way of thinking, showing people that “human nature is complex, and social constructs are convoluted” (Photography as Activism, 49). She shows her subjects as humans, on the same playing field as the rest of us just on a different path.

·           I believe Mark has been successful in creating change even if not in an obvious way. Mark’s focus is to show her subjects in a way that is direct yet multifaceted. She wants to show society that outsiders like Tiny, a 14-year-old prostitute, have layers to who they are just like everyone else, that one thing should not define them and I think her works have been successful in changing that thought process.

              I chose Mark not only because I enjoyed her work and the message she sought to spread through it but because of her intimacy with her subjects. She takes the time to really get to know them and become close to them. Years later she revised her Streetwise projected and photographed Tiny as she is now. For her Falkland Road: Prostitutes of Bombay, she became very close to the woman and girls she photographed. That kind of dedication and commitment is really inspiring.

Mary Ellen Mark, Tiny, 1983

 http://www.maryellenmark.com/books/titles/streetwise/300E-008-019_stwise_520.html

Introduction

 Hi, I'm Aurora. I am a freshman and I intend to Major in History with a Minor in Pre-Law and complete the Accelerated Law Program.

I choose this course because I love animals, especially dogs, and I enjoy photography.