Title:Artasacriticalresponsetosocialissues
Submittedby HafsaKhan
Date:29thJanuary2023
The paper engages with an artwork entitled the Archive of Spatial KnowledgebyIrakiSabekia, situated atArsElectronica2022,toexaminethevariousfactorsandparametersthatdeterminean audience’s response to a particular artwork - and in specific, artwork that describes prevalent, present-day circumstances of global horror that reside within public consciousness. It proposes that this response is constructed through and as a combination of a diversity ofelements,which can include the material employed by the artist to construct the artwork, its placement within a larger space, the audience’s existing familiarity with thesituationasdepictedbytheartworkand the variousaestheticdecisionsthatconstitutetheproductionoftheartwork.Thepaperthenseeks to propose, through its evocation of boththeformatoftheartreviewandanobservationalpiece, the index of aspects that an artist may employ in ordertomaketheirartworkmoreeffectiveand urgenttotheaudiencesthatengagewithit.
1.1Introduction
Throughout history artists haveusedvarioustoolstoeffectivelycommunityissuesofimportance that provoke within the society The issues that art has been used to deal with include: war, violence, racism, and equality to name but a few What makes art such an effective tool in addressing social issues is its ability to focus the community on the socialproblems.Ithasbeen shown that art can help people connect with some aspect of social reality in a manner that they could otherwise not have without the aid of art. Artplaysacrucialroleinshapingandrenewing culture: it can shine a spotlight on truth, create moments of joy orinspireustoact.Intimeslike these, we need toempowerartistslikeneverbeforetohelpusreflect,torekindleourhopeandto imagine a better future. Often this arises the question whether artists have the responsibility to addresssocialproblemsthroughtheirwork.
According to Ingold’s Concept of making (Tim Ingold's Thinking Through Making,2017),Artis created by the artist's interaction with the materials, not by the form that exists in their mind. Both the artist and the materials talk to one another through the artist's usage of the materials.
The creator is "stuckbetweenthetensile,frictionaldragofmaterialabrasionandtheanticipatory reachofmentalvision"(p.71),
When talking about the relationship between art, politics and activism- the approaches are diverse. They span from William Morris' socialist art theory to the hybrid activist work connected to the twenty-first century "movement of movements;” the movements that vehemently rejected aesthetic modernism in favorofprotest,critique,utopiansocialexperiment, or revolutionary propaganda, to the modernist avant-gardes and their concepts of political commitment. The realization that art has been politically charged in somewaysinceitscreation sometimes leads to the deliberate politicization of art. At various eras and locations, as well as
within various cultural, social, and political systems, the category of art has been established in various ways. Here, we don't make an attempt to define art broadly. We instead focus on instances when modern artists have aligned themselves with larger social movements or defied acceptedartisticconventionsoutofadesireforsocialchange. When we talk about the field of modern art, we're talking about a specific set of concepts and organizations that were developed deliberately in the nineteenth century. European cultural, political, andeconomiccircumstancesgaveartistsanewfieldtooperateinaswellasanewform of freedom. A new class, an expanded bourgeoisie with disposable income and free time, was established by the wealth transfer that capitalist industrial organizations made feasible. The development of a brand-new type of placeforthedisplayandpleasureofart,theartgallery,was one indication of the economic might of this new elite. This was always a hybridprivate/public venuethatsupplantedthesalonandacademyasexistingeliteorganizations. The potential ofanewfunctionforart—l'art pour l'art—wasmadepossiblebytheemancipation of art from the governmentandreligiousorganizations,aswellasbyitsforcedremovalfromthe realm of everyday production. Artists such as painters and sculptors were no longer just the employees of aristocratic clients or the dominant religion. They could pursue their particular artistic goals in a brand-new, distinct field ofpureart,whilesociety—representedbythegallery, thecritic,andthemarket—wouldjudgethemontheirabilities.(Esche,
n.d.)This is not meant to imply that those who express or act upon thedesiretoalterthesocialorder are in a better position thanothers.Infact,onemaycontendthatthecontraryistrue.Thoughthe concept of art's autonomy has occasionally been usefully invoked in defense of the right tofree speech, the place and function of art in contemporary Western culture have been severely constrained, both in theory and in practice. As a result,itisfrequentlyarguedthatartshouldnot
or cannot attempt to affect social change.In totalitarian regimes or other settings where some pictureshavethepotentialtoviolatesocialnorms,artisfrequentlythesubjectofcensorship. We have geographically tracked what could be referred to as the "globalization of modernism." As the social, economic, and political systems that support it have been copied, the modern, Western notion of art that is principally in contention has spread throughout the world. The setting from which many of the writings featured here acquire their impact includes the unique status of art as a secular commodity and the norms that not only attend its role in capitalist society but also devalue other expressions. As a result, the texts chosen for the anthology are primarily from the US and Europe in the first two sections, and thereafter from a wider geographic range. We should also be aware that, even within the constraints of its style and objectives, this reader is, at best, an incomplete and inevitably skewed survey due to our own culturalmilieuandthenumerousotherlimitsinvolvedinitscompilation. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there was a significant shift in the variety of activities that constrained and rejected the role oftheartistinEuropeansociety.Awiderangeof social mores and obligations were altered as a result of the unequal emergence of capitalism, urbanization, secularism, republicanism, and democratic citizenship, as well as the associated complex and diversified reshaping of society (Esche, n.d.) In contrast to religious allegory, contemporary challenges could be directlyaddressedbyasecularartist.Inservicetothenobility wasthecourtartistwhocouldeventuallyfindworkasafreelancerwiththenewbourgeoisie.The artist could participate in politics, join an academy that acknowledges the political significance of the heritage of mimetic andallegoricalart,orstarttodoubtordenytheirownpositionoutside theacademyiftheywanttoviewthemselvesasacitizenratherthanasubject.
At the same time, internal migrations, cultural shifts, and economic changes brought about by industrialization in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had the effect of destroying artisanal traditions that had for centuries operated inacontextthatwasbroaderthanthatsuggestedbythe modern concept of "applied art," producing unique and locally significant elaborations on functional clothing, tools, and utensils as well as purely symbolic icons, ritual garments, and otherobjects.(Esche,n.d.)
Not only does art play a significant role in society as a source of joy, happiness, and astonishment,butitalsoplaysasignificantpartininspiring,motivating,andprovokingpeopleto change. Empathy-building art is a powerful form of expression. A truly engrossing work of art can change viewpoints.Since art isthelensthroughwhichweviewtheworld,ithasthepowerto alter how we perceive it.Wecanassertthatarthasthepowertoamplifyconsciousnessandmold how we view our society. Additionally, it can foster empathy, foster a sense of belonging, and combat various forms of oppression including racism and inequality. The phrase"artstransform peopleandpeoplechangetheworld"isanotheroption.(Singhal,2021)
1.2TheArtistandthePiece
Archive of Spatial Knowledge by Iraki Sabekia who is a Dutch-based designer and researcher who hails from Georgia. He is a recent Design Academy Eindhoven cum laude graduate with a background in physics and visual communication. Having origins in the area where contrasting ideologies and ongoing social and economic conflict have formed recent history, the artist approaches existing structures and the status quo with a critical yet interested attitude.Irakli engages the audience in conversation at the nexus of design, art, and philosophy by using experience as a tool. He uses both cerebral and visceral, as well as rational and emotional, responses to develop a multilayered understanding of a subject. His experiences are intended to
facilitate understanding of the problems he tackles rather than merely to educate.His works, which frequently take the form of installations, employ subversion and modification to present an alternate viewpoint and produce experiences meant to elicit thought through a procedure he referstoas"theconstructionofinsights."(Irakli Sabekia,n.d.)
The Archive of Spatial Knowledge, the project under consideration for this essay, is a curated collection of displaced people's recollections thatishousedonanunprovendigitalplatform.Itis a compilation of personal accounts and tales from social memory of people orgroupswhohave been forcibly uprooted from their homes or who have been denied representation or the chance to preserve historical and cultural continuity in the areas where they currently reside. It talks about the forceful Russian occupied territories of Georgia. The issues of spatial justice are covered in the ArchiveofSpatialKnowledge.Itlooksintohowdeliberateerasureandrepression of geographical narratives are symbols of spatial hegemony. The archive collects the unique spatial and social memory of people and groups that have been forcibly uprooted from their original environments or who are denied representation and the opportunity to create historical and cultural continuity in the places where they currently reside.The project's digital platform gathers stories that have been driven out of real settings and links them to their original geographic placements in a virtual layer, building a safe knowledge base on top of the actual landscape.The archive allows people in its present geographic emphasis to contribute their stories and use the archive's mobile digital tool to associate such stories with actual places. The same mobile application is used by archive visitors to access the on-the-go accounts that have been maintained (or remotely). Theplatformservesasaspatialinterventionthatenablesviewers tocomparethetruthofphysicalsettingswithstoriesthathavebeenerased.(ASK,n.d.)
1.3AboutthePiece
The Archive ofSpatialKnowledgewasaninstallationatArsElectronica,hostedinLinzAustria. The festivalfeaturedawiderangeofexhibitions,performances,workshops,andconferencesthat explored the intersection of art, technology, and society It showcased black police barricades which had ticker tapesrunningonthem,showcasingfirsthandstoriesofthosewhohadlosttheir homes in Georgia. Iraki, the artist and researcher, said in an interview that he has to carefully elicit the experiences from the participants becausedoingsocanbeupsettingbecausethespatial abnormalities that cause memory erasure have a profound and long-lasting effect on the individual. The discussions can get extremely intense. He makes an effort to stay away from stories that are heavilyslantedbypoliticalorculturalobjectivesandbiases.Apoliticalstatement inandofitselfisexposingthefactthatthisknowledgeisremovedfromitsoriginallocation. Furthermore, the text was showcased in red. Redisapowerfulandevocativecolorthathasbeen used in art throughout history. It has been used to convey a wide range of emotions and meanings,fromloveandpassiontoangeranddanger. Inadditiontoloveandpassion,redhasalsobeenusedtosymbolizeangeranddanger.Thiscan beseeninthewayredisoftenusedtodepictfireandviolence.Forexample,inmanydepictions ofwar,redisusedtorepresentthebloodshedanddestructioncausedbytheconflict.Insome cultures,redisalsoassociatedwiththedevilandevil,andithasbeenusedtorepresentthese conceptsinart.
It's alsoused tosymbolizepowerandauthority.Thiscanbeseeninthewayredisoftenusedto depictroyalty,suchasintheredrobeswornbykingsandqueensintraditionalportraits. Additionally,rediscommonlyusedinflagsandothersymbolsofnations,aswellasinsports teams'logos,tosignifypowerandstrength.
Furthermore,itisused tocreateasenseofmovementandenergy.Thiscanbeseenintheway redisoftenusedasanaccentcolorinpaintings,todrawtheviewer'seyeandcreateasenseof movementanddynamism.Inabstractart,redisoftenusedtocreateasenseofmovementand tension,aswellastorepresentemotionssuchasanger,passionandrage.(Jackson,2017) Red has been used in modern art to express a variety of messages. Itcanalsobeusedtomakea political statement, as in Kazimir Malevich's works, where the color red was employed to symbolize the communist revolution. Similar to this, Barnett Newman utilized the color red to depictthesublimeandtranscendentinhisabstractpaintings(Red as a Symbol in Art,2017)
Police barricades have been used in art as a meansofcommentingonsocialandpoliticalissues, particularly in the context of protests and social movements. The use of barricades in art highlights the use of physical barriers to control and restrict movement, and the ways in which thesebarrierscansymbolizeissuesofpowerandoppression.
One of the most well-known examples of the use of police barricades in art is the "Barricade Paintings" series by the artist Krzysztof Wodiczko.Intheseworks,Wodiczkotakesactualpolice barricades and transforms them into large-scale paintings, using bright colors and bold imagery to draw attention to the ways in which these barriers are used to control and restrictmovement.
Wodiczko's work highlights the waysinwhichtheuseofphysicalbarrierscanbeusedtocontrol andrestrictthemovementofmarginalizedgroupsandtomaintainsocialhierarchies.
Another example of the use of police barricades in art is the work of the artist Mark Wallinger, who in his work "State Britain" recreated a protest camp outside theBritishParliamentthatwas dismantled by the police in 2007. Theinstallationfeaturedareplicaoftheoriginalprotestcamp, complete with tents, banners and police barricades. Wallinger's work aimed to draw attentionto
the ways in which the state uses physical barriers to control and restrict the movement of those whoaredissentingagainstthegovernment. Similarly, the artist Jenny Holzer has used police barricades in her installations to comment on social and political issues. In her installation "Protect Protect," Holzer created a series of sculptures made out of police barricades, which she arranged in a circular formation. The work aimed to draw attention to thewaysinwhichphysicalbarrierscanbeusedtocontrolandrestrict the movement of individuals and groups, and to the ways in which thesebarrierscansymbolize issuesofpowerandoppression.
In addition to being used in fine art,policebarricadesarealsousedasamediuminstreetartand graffiti. Street artists often paint or modify barricadestoexpresspoliticalorsocialmessages,for instance in times of protest. These artworks can be seen as a form ofresistanceagainstthestate anditsuseofphysicalbarrierstocontrolandrestrictthemovementofindividualsandgroups.
In summary, police barricades have been used in art as a means of commenting on social and political issues. The use of barricades in art highlights theuseofphysicalbarrierstocontroland restrict movement, and the ways in which these barriers can symbolize issues of power and oppression. Artists such as Krzysztof Wodiczko, Mark Wallinger and Jenny Holzer have used barricades in their work to draw attention tothewaysinwhichthestateusesphysicalbarriersto control and restrict the movement of those who are dissenting against the government. Street artistsalsousebarricadesasamediumtoexpresspoliticalorsocialmessages. For the writer, the police barricades were a sudden reminder to war, violence and police terror. The aura of the spaceoncesheentereditmadeitfeellikeshewasbackhome,inconstantfearof displacement and terror. That is why she was attracted to the piece initially. Many around here were posing with the installation, as most were unaware of what the barricades actually
represented. The neon lights did make you glanceatthepiecefromfeetapartasmostpartofthe floor was illuminated by them. With each barricade showing a different story of displacement. And placed in the perimeter of the space as they would be in real life. The stories, recorded in first person, contained small personal details of their houses that the contributors had losttothe war.
However, the concept created by the artist, of the overall theme of displacement does lack sensitivity to the issue. As they are generic obstructions used in everyday life for commercial things such as grocery store ticker tapes, stock markets or ballards to stop traffic on the road.
Secondly, the audience leaves the space with no information about the person whose story they have just read. The artist could have included a background about the people who he had interviewed to create a more personal impact. Thus making sure that those who enter and then leave the installation remember the stories. Lastly, there was no sound in the installation, if it had been added it would have had a larger impact on the audience.It would have added a dynamic and immersive dimension to the overall experience, and can help to create a sense of atmosphereandemotion.
For example, sound can be used to create a sense of movement or changeinaninstallation,and can help to draw the viewer's attention to different elements of the piece. The use of sound can also help to create a sense of narrative or context, and can be used to tell a story or convey a message.
Additionally, sound can also be used as a way to involve the viewer or participant in the installation. By creating interactive elementsthatrespondtotheviewer'spresenceoractions,the useofsoundcanhelptocreateasenseofengagementandparticipation.
Furthermore, sound can also be used to create a sense ofspaceandplace,andcanhelptodefine the physical boundaries of an installation. It can also be used to define the emotional and psychological boundaries of an installation, and can help to create a sense of intimacy or distance.
Intheend,ifsoundwouldhavebeenadded,itwouldhave playedaveryimportantroleintheart installation, it could have further enhanced the overall experience, and could have helped the artisttoexpresshismessageinamorepowerfulway.
Attachedbelowareimagesoftheartpiece.
collectsuniquespatialandsocialmemoriesofpeopleandgroupsthathavebeen forciblyuprootedfromtheiroriginalenvironmentsorthatlackrepresentationandtheabilityto maintainhistoricalandculturalcontinuityintheircurrentresidences.Thearchiveusesamobile softwareprogrammeasatooltoletitscontributorstietheirstoriestospecificgeographic
Figure 1:Thisfigureshowstheblackpolicebarricadesandtheredneontextontheminticker tape.Theywereplacedinthesideofthespaceallottedfortheinstallations.Withtheaudience walkinginthemiddleandbetweenthem.Thephotographshowsacloseupoftwobarricadeson whichthetextisreadable,stating“Offshore,exactlyinfrontofourhouse”
Figure2:thisfigurecontainstheartist’sstatement,whichsays,Acollectedcollectionofspatial recollectionsishousedonanunprovendigitalplatformwiththenameArchiveofSpatial Knowledge.It
locations,establishingasecureknowledgebaseoverlaidontheactualterrain.Thearchivealso servesasaspatialinterventionatthesametime.Thevisitorofthearchivecanaccesstheerased knowledgeonsiteusingthesamedigitaltechnology,allowingthemtocontrastinvisiblestories withtherealityofactualsettings.Thefirsteditionofthearchivediscussestheproblemswith spatialjusticeinandaroundtheGeorgianterritoriesthatareunderRussianoccupation.
Art has the power to move people to social change, it leaves the audience feeling something, it ignites a debate amongst us. That is the keyelementtopiecestalkingaboutsocialissuessuchas this one. In such cases, the artist becomes the advocate, challenging the biggest issues of our time mostly with the use of metaphors and symbols in their works.Thus art becomes an innovative medium for awareness. The main concern with this piece was that the artist fails to humanize it, the audience reads the stories but therearenofaces,thefactthatitisdisplayedina ticker tape makes it feel like a mundane message, something you see at a train station or a grocerystore.Inourmindswedonotstoptoreadthoseandmostlyendupignoringthem.
2.1MarthaRosler’s-“HouseBeautiful:BringingWarHome”.
Martha Rosler's "House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home" is a series of photomontages that explore the impact of the Vietnam War on American society. The series, created in 1967-72, critiques the way in which the media represented the war, and how it was used to maintain a senseofnormalcyinthedomesticsphere,despitetheongoingviolenceanddestructionabroad. The series is composed of images from popular home decorating magazines, such as "House Beautiful" and "Better Homes and Gardens," and imagesfromnewspapersandmagazinesofthe Vietnam War Rosler collages these images together, creating a jarring contrast between the idyllic images of domestic life and the violence and devastation of the war. This contrast
highlights the disconnection between the reality of the warandthewayitwasrepresentedinthe media.
One of themoststrikingaspectsoftheseriesisthewayinwhichRoslerusesimagesofdomestic interiors to comment on the war By placing images of war-torn Vietnam in the context of domestic spaces, Rosler is pointing out the way in which the war wasbroughtintothedomestic sphere through media representation, and how it disrupted the idea of the home as a sanctuary. This can be seen in images such as "Living Room, Vietnam" where a photograph of a bombed-out living room in Vietnam is superimposed onto an image of a domestic living room.
The image highlights the absurdity of the idea that the war could be abstracted and sanitized in thedomesticsphere.
Another important aspect of the series is the way inwhichRoslercritiquesthewayinwhichthe media represented the war. Many of the images in the series feature headlines and text from newspapers and magazines, which Rosler uses to comment on the way in which the media portrayed the war. For example, in the image "Semiotics of the Kitchen," Rosler juxtaposes an image of a domestic kitchen with a headline reading "Viet CongTortureAmericanPOWs."The image highlights the disconnection between therealityofthewarandthewayitwasrepresented inthemedia.
The series also commentsonthewayinwhichthewarwasusedtomaintainasenseofnormalcy in the domestic sphere. Rosler is critical of thewayinwhichthemediausedimagesofdomestic life to distract from the war, and to create the illusion of a society that was not affected by the war This can be seen in images such as "Bringing the War Home: House Beautiful," where Rosler collages an image of a domestic interior with an image of a burning Vietnamese village. The image highlights the absurdity of the idea that domestic life could remainuntouchedbythe war.
The term "Living room war" refers to a situation in which the atrocities of war are reduced to mere statisticsandbecomecommonplacetelevisionheadlinesineverydaylifeasaresultofmass media. In a discussion on the essay, Martha asserts that people all across the world, but particularly those in America, may learn minute-by-minute details of the war and its atrocities through the media. The battle becomes desensitized once these graphic details of the killingare acceptedasroutine.Itbecomesanaturalpartofthediscourse,makingitsimplertogoon.
MarthaRosler's"HouseBeautiful:BringingtheWarHome"isapowerfulandthought-provoking series of photomontages that critiques the way in which theVietnamWarwasrepresentedinthe media, and how it was usedtomaintainasenseofnormalcyinthedomesticsphere.Throughthe use of collage, Rosler is able to create a jarring contrast between the idyllic imagesofdomestic life and the violence and devastation of the war, highlighting the disconnection between the reality of the war and the way it was represented in the media. The series is a powerful commentary on the way in which the war was brought into the domestic sphere, and how it disrupted the idea of thehomeasasanctuary.(Martha Rosler. House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home. C. 1967–72,n.d.)
Attached below are some images of Martha’s piece- Martha Rosler. House Beautiful: Bringing theWarHome,c.1967–72.
Source:MinneapolisInstituteofArt
Figure 3 :
a
her arm, asshevacuums the curtains, but behind the curtains instead of the window, Rosler has added images of thewar where two soldiers holding guns, standing in between large boulders for protection from the shellingscanbeseen.
This figure shows
housewife with a hover in hanging on
Source:GettyCentre
Figure 4 : This Figure shows a woman dressed in a yellow jeweled gown, posing for a portrait photograph in her formal dining room. Behind her is a whitemarblefireplace,ontheleftcorner a yellow gold sofa can beseen,andlampsaswellascandleholdersallingoldcanbeseeninthe figure. Just above the fireplace, the wall hosts many large paintings, but one of them, the one right above her, has alargegoldframeinsidewhichanimagefromthewarcanbeseen,whichis black and white. The girl can beseenthatsheisseverelyinjuredwithherentiretorsocoveredin bullets.
The Archive Collectivehasalsoconstructedaspacewheretheaudiencejoinsthebarricadesonly when they desire to be a partofit;otherwise,theyarefreetoroamaroundandnotunderstandor immune themselves to what is happening. This particular detail is identical to the piece in question. The audience is initially solely drawn to the red lights and the barriers without any consideration for what theyactuallystandfor.Someusethemasbackdropsfortheirownphotos, while others pause to read the storiesandtickertape.Whichisoncemoreametaphorforfeeling somewhat unresponsive to the continued violence of displacement and the current global scenariooftheRussianwar.
2.2TheoreticalFramework
Cultivation theory, developed by George Gerbner, is a communication theory that examines the relationship between television and the way people perceive the world. The theory posits that heavy television viewing can shape an individual's perceptions of reality and social norms, leadingtoacommonculturalviewknownasthe"mainstream."
Gerbner first introduced the theory in the 1970s, and it has been widely studied in the fields of communication and media studies. The theory suggests that the images and messages presented on television can have a significant impact on an individual's perceptions of the world, particularlywhenitcomestoissuesofcrime,violence,andsocialnorms.
One of the key elementsofcultivationtheoryistheconceptofthe"meanworldsyndrome."This refers to the idea that heavy television viewing can lead individuals to perceive the world as a more dangerous and violent place than it actually is. This can be seen in the waythattelevision often portrays crime and violence asmoreprevalentthanitactuallyisinsociety Gerbnerargued that this can lead individuals to become more fearful and anxious, and to adoptamorenegative viewoftheworld.
Another key element of cultivation theory is the concept of the "mainstream." Gerbner argues that heavy television viewing can lead to a common cultural view, known as the "mainstream," which is shaped by the messages and images presented ontelevision.Thismainstreamviewcan differ from the reality of society, and can lead individuals to adopt certain attitudes and beliefs thatarenotreflectiveoftherealworld.
Gerbner also argued that cultivation theory can help toexplainwhycertaingroupsinsocietyare disproportionately affected by the messages and images presented on television. He suggested that individuals from marginalized groups, such as minoritygroupsandlow-incomeindividuals, are more likely to be exposed to television and therefore more likely to be affected by the messagesandimagespresentedonit.(Perera,2021).
On the contrary, Desensitization theory suggests that repeated exposure to violence or other traumatic stimuli can lead to a decrease in emotional response to such stimuli. This theory suggests that as individuals are exposed to violence or other traumatic stimuli over time, they become less sensitive to it,andtheiremotionalresponsetosuchstimulidecreases.Thiscanhave significant implications for individuals' mental health and well-being, as well as forsocietyasa whole.Studies have found that repeated exposure to violence or other traumatic stimulicanlead to a decrease in emotional response to such stimuli. For example, research has found that individuals who are exposed to violent images or videos over time tend to become less emotionally affected by them. This can be seen in the way that individuals who are exposed to violent images or videos over time tend to become less likely to experience feelings of fear, anxiety,ordisgustwhenviewingsuchimagesorvideos.
Desensitization theory has also been found to have implications for society as a whole. For example, research suggests that desensitization to violence can leadtoanincreaseinviolencein society. This can be seen in the way that individuals who are desensitized to violence may be more likely to engage in violent behavior themselves. Additionally, desensitization theory has
also been found to have implicationsforindividuals'mentalhealthandwell-being.Forexample, research suggests that desensitization to violence can lead to an increase in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions.(Aggression: Media Influences & Desensitisation | Psychology | Tutor2u, 2021).Therefore,theresponsetotheabove mentioned lowersifangerorviolenceisofferedfrequently.Themindbecomesnumbaroundthis knowledgeasitbecomesaccustomedtoit.
The archival collection piece was a reminder of what is happening in the world, the sense to display it using “experimental digital” tools was also something out of the ordinary, a medium upon which the audience is not used to seeing information regarding war Which could add an element of intrigue for the audience to make them stop and wonder about the art piece in question.
The Victim Symptom suggests that the “world is not interested in serialized onebyonedeaths, but large scale dying” (Pareica, n.d., #) The artwork aims to humanize its contributors by emphasizing their tales and using them to link geographic areas to their contributions. This protected pool of knowledge is superimposed on the actuallandscape.toconveytotheaudience that these folks are more than the statistics that are presented in the media.Susan Sontag in her book, Regarding the Pain of Others, comments on Virgnia Woolf’s “we”. Who are we? At whom, in this case the art piece,is aimed for? that we are a much wider constituency—those who are only ostensibly concerned about some awful battle taking place in another country—than just a group of people who support a nation or a country that is in the midstofa war and fighting for its existence.(Sontag, n.d.) The archive collective meant to create a piece thathighlightsthe“real”mattersthattheprivilegedmightchoosetoignore.
Ariella Azoulay in her book, Death Showcase, talks about a report from Bosnia about a photographer who documented a sniper who killed innocent civilians as they crossed a street. She writes, “For the photographer to be only a photographer—that neutral position that merely documents the murderer-sniper must be only a murderer-sniper.She writes, “For the photographer to be only a photographer that neutral position that merely documents the murderer-sniper must be only a murderer-sniper”. (Azoulay, 2001, #) she states that, in this moment thephotographerisnotmerelyaphotographer,heispartoftheviolenceandthemurder, if not the murderer is an accomplice in it. Furthermore, Azoulay's photograph's content or message resides within the “conditions of production, with the means of production, with the positions of production, with the means of distribution, with the conditions of distribution, with the conditions of visibility, and with the means of visibility”(282).Accordingtoherphilosophy of photography,photographymustbeusedtocritiquecurrentpowerstructuresandremedysocial injustice, but not in limited ways that depend on thephotographer'sskillandauthority,oronthe observer's capacity to "feel right" about their observation. She notes that both the photographer and thesubjectarealwayschanginginthechapteronemergencyclaims.Additionallyunstableis therelationshipbetweenthetopicandtheviewer Everyvariableintheprocessoftransmissionis apt to be contingent and thus subject to the forces of interpretation, counter interpretation, selection, manipulation, suppression, and repurposing. Her recent work, Civil Imagination: A
Political Ontology of Photography refines the arguments made in The Civil Contract of Photography
by parsing the deep structural lineaments of photography itself. It is important to understand how photographs are easily transmittable and separate from the intentions of the creator-ceaselessly placing demands on viewers to shuttle between aesthetic and political interpretive nodes to make sense of a picture. Shealsotalksabouta“civilgaze”Itindicatesthat
the viewer isawarethattheyarenotdistinctfromtheimage,orinthiscase,theartwork,andthat they are not outside the political framework that the piece is meant to portray. Additionally, it fosters a sense of civil intention that enables the viewer to acknowledge the existence of individuals outside the frame. Toallthosewhocontributedtoitscreation,suchastheproduction team, and to "enable all individuals populating the civil space the photograph to meet on the same plane, even if only momentarily, and to affirm their participation inside its space."(121)
Azoulay's theory of photography emphasizes the necessity of using photography as a tool for social justice rehabilitation and critique of pre-existing power relations, but not in limited ways that depend on the photographer's authority, artistry, or the viewer's ability to "feel right" about their act of observation. The assertion of the piece is essential to understanding its significance because it leaveslittleroomforinterpretationotherthanwhatthecreatorintendsforittobe.The barriers and neon lights, however, make it transmittable and slightly apart from the creator's goals as the audience moves around.Thus placing a daunting demand on the viewer to separate theaestheticfromthepoliticalinterpretationtomakesenseofthetickertapes.
Michel Foucaultinhis, The Birth of the Clinic: An Archaeology of Medical Perception statesthat the archive was not merely of the photographbutoftheeventsofthephotograph.Basedonthis,
Azoulay argues in Potential History: Thinking through Violence that the artist has the opportunity to reconstruct and preserve the violences by documenting these episodes; in this situation, the artist is not a facilitator but is responding to the ongoing battle. By reenacting the violence associated with their production and preservation, she says, "led me insculptinganew surfaceofappearancefortheartifactsIcollectedinthisarchive."(Azoulay,
2013,#)She further comments on the Civil Distress, which is a term coined for those who were trained by the regime not to identify the existence of a disaster as such begin to recognize it, but what
they starttoperceiveclearlyasadisastercontinuesnottobeperceivedsobyothers.Thusleading to a “Regime made disaster” where Expulsion, dispossession, and destruction of other people's propertyareitsobviousactions.Theseareinflictedbyonepopulationofthegoverned—typically the citizens, the privileged ones—upon another; it renders itself invisible to this population of citizens who are mobilized toparticipateinit,especiallybecauseitisnotperceivedasadisaster; they do not perceive themselves as those who inflict such a disaster or are responsible for its outcome. Due to the participants' conditioning to not see it, the vicious cycle allows for long-lasting regime-caused disasters and makes it possible for them to be accepted by the public.There is then a need to reinterpret it and preserve it through archiving it.It is the type of anxiety connected to the potential for understanding, seeing, and learning, and consequently, living,experiencing,andimagining.
3.0Conclusion
Arthaslongbeenusedasameansofexpressingandcommentingonsocialissues.Frompolitical cartoons to protest songs, from murals to performance art, artists have used their talents to addressissuessuchaspoverty,inequality,discrimination,andinjustice.
One of the most powerful ways that art can serve as a critical response to social issues is by giving voice to marginalized or oppressed groups. This can include art created by members of these groups themselves, as well as art that amplifies their perspectives and experiences. For example, the works of black artists such as Jacob Lawrence and Kara Walker have helped to bring attention totheongoingstrugglesforracialjusticeintheUnitedStates.Similarly,theartof feminist artists such as Frida Kahlo and Judy Chicago hashelpedtoraiseawarenessoftheways inwhichwomenhavebeenhistoricallyandcontinuetobeoppressed.
Art can also serve as a means of inspiring socialchangebychallengingdominantnarrativesand offering alternative perspectives. For example, the politicalcartoonsofeditorialcartoonistssuch as Herblock and Pat Oliphant have long been used to critique government policies and leaders, often highlighting the ways in which these policies and leaders have failed toaddressimportant social issues. Similarly, the works of street artists such as Banksy and the Guerrilla Girls have usedpublicspacestobringattentiontoissuessuchasinequalityandcorruption. One example of this is the work of the Mexican muralists, who used public art to address the social and political issues of their time. Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco were among the most prominent muralists of the early 20th century, andtheir work depicted the struggles of the workingclassandindigenouspeople,aswellascritiquingthe capitalistsystem.
Additionally, art can serve as a form of resistance against oppressive systems and ideologies. This can include art that directly confronts and subverts dominant symbols and narratives, such as the works of the Situationist International movement in the 1960s, whichsoughttochallenge the capitalist system through the use of visual and performance art. Similarly, the art of the feminist and LGBTQ+ movements of the 1970s and 1980s sought to challenge and subvert traditionalgenderrolesandexpectations.
In terms of The Archive of Spatial Knowledge, it did have an effect on the audience, for those who actually understood the piece. The artist’s initiative, how he is involved in the project is highly commendable. But the piece could have been more personal , so more would have interactedwithit.
In conclusion, art has played a significant role in raising awareness, amplifying voices and inspiring social change. It can be used to givevoicetomarginalizedgroups,challengedominant narratives, and offer alternative perspectives. By creating art that reflects and critiques social issues,artistshavethepowertoinspirechangeandmakeadifferenceintheworld.
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