Mental Slavery
This image is of a sculpture that has been causing a bit of backlash in Jamaica. The sculpture, called Redemption Song was unveiled in Kingston's new Emancipation Park.
Critics have accused the sculptor of perpetuating myths about black men, as they claim the male is too well endowed. The sculptor, Laura Facey Cooper insisted she based the offending item on models and that it is in proportion to the rest of body. Since Redemption Song's unveiling, many have questioned whether emancipation and freedom are akin to nakedness while others are concerned about the size of the male's genitalia, calling it a vulgar display for a public monument.
Whats the issue here ?
That the artist created a sculpture with a large phallus which differs from classic European sculptures ? I refer you at this juncture to Michelangelo's David who sports a comparitively minor member. Then in comparison because of the larger utensil of procreation , this sculpture is deemed ' a vulgar display for a public monument'.
Did these people not get the message .. ' free yourself from mental slavery' I know its hard to disrobe ourselves of beliefs and ideas that we hold true, that guides us in this daily sensory orgy we call life but a sculpture that celebrates emancipation should not be belittled so carelessly(irony here being belittled for being 'overly' enlarged)
So i pose this question ..how many of us can actually celebrate this sculpture as what was intended by its creator ... 'transcendence, reverence, strength and unity through our procreators - man and woman '.............Maybe you cant cause you're mind is still enslaved by the stereotypes and assumptions you've picked up or you're a slave to a penis fixation which i would'nt worry about because most people , i think , share your fixation or you might just have a small penis in which case this sculpture is a personal '$4 million' bronze insult ...hey whatever the case no one's judging you
posted by Funky Cold Madina @ 4:26 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
"How many of us can actually celebrate this sculpture as what (sic) was intended by its creator..?"
To be honest, i doubt many would be able to even if they didn't take offence to the generous size of its most prominent member.. That's the problem with public art.. The large majority of its audience are those who perhaps value other things (such as public decency, morality, how public money is spent, etc) much more than aesthetics, spiritual edification (for those who believe that art is more than just a sensory experience) or artistic intent.. These are the people who will form the dissenting voice, much like the critics in your recount.. And their arguments are as likely to be based on little things like "it's the colour of shit" ("Angel of the North", Antony Gormley, North England) or "we have to walk around it every day" ("Tilted Arc", Richard Serra, New York) as they are on on perhaps more important social issues such a waste of public funds ("House", Rachel Whiteread, London).. I suspect that 'Redemption Song' would have faced the same sort of controversy or crtiticism even if Cooper had kept her figures within the limits of proportion - they'd probably be criticising the distance between the figures' eyes or the shape of the female form's areolas.. There's always something.. So if truth be told, this is probably just as much a case of misplaced socio-political activism as it about penile envy..
So if the people don't get it, why do artists create such work? Why not keep art in galleries where only those who are interested will be subjected to its pleasure (or displeasure)? There are many reasons.. Government endorsement of such art is usually preceded by declarations of striving for widespread cultural edification, but in truth it is often really about economic promise.. Some commission work to beautify certain areas or to create an identifying landmark for that area in the hope of unifying its people.. Artists, forever lost in their ideals, though tend to be more naive with their reasoning for making public art.. They just want to touch people and change their lives for the better.. In short, they believe people will, sooner or later, get it..
This an excerpt from my dissertation written in dec 2003..
"What “House”, and perhaps even “Tilted Arc”, lacked in comparison to “The Angel of the North” was time. The existence of a public art work over an extended period of time is an essential prerequisite for its appreciation by the general public, and this is so for two main reasons. First, the shock of a new, incursive element into the public space is bound to diminish over time. The initial, natural emotive response to such a shock, emotions such as anger and detestation, will recede and that opens up possibilities for public acceptance and perhaps even appreciation of the work. This was of course evident in the case of “The Angel of the North”, where an incursion onto the landscape had over the time become an identifiable part of the local fabric. Therefore, it may be said that the success of a public art work is dependent on its longevity (although equally in some cases, longevity may be a measure of that success). Secondly, artists working in the public realm have a responsibility to their public to preserve the “importance of whatever memory they wish to pass on to the future.” A public art work informed by the conditions and concerns of its site in a particular time can be an important record of that site’s history. “The Angel of the North”, as a physical symbol of the Gateshead region’s new social and economic identity, will undoubtedly be an important feature of the region’s history in years to come. Had it been envisaged to last, “House” could have become a powerful memorial to the political and social climate of 1990s East London. That it was built to be ephemeral perhaps betrayed Whiteread’s initial lack of awareness of the work’s potential for political discourse."
Winning the public over takes time.. Ask that question of yours again when the dust of controversy has settled and people start seeing beyond the penis.. This naive artist says you'll probably get yourself a markedly different response..
Oh my, how long is this comment? Be careful what you wish for, NJ.. Haha.. I got carried away alright, like that paper bag in the wind in "Forrest Gump".. I'm gonna go for a jog now.. See you in three years..
well i was about to hazard a reply but i realized to answer with less than 3 months of research and selective choice quotations would be a mistake , as such I would rather it stand alone without challenge- pristine.I love how you are able to move beyond your own positionality as an artist to better understand the act of appreciation by the 'people'.The element of time introduced as a factor in determining the 'acceptability' of public art pieces was insightful and enlightened this representative of the masses.
You know what I read "The Ridge" lately, and this female writer used the bra as a metaphor, about how it creates a "mental straitjacket" on us as how it controls and shapes the female body. We should just take off this mental straitjacket and really celebrate emanicipation!
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