Hearing Voices
Today, I’m hearing voices in my head! One of them is telling me to get busy on my new ‘Blog Triage’ class assignment from Cynthia Morris and Alyson Stanfield: write a topical post three different times, each to a different type of person in our lives, or even to a specific person in our lives, then post the one which feels like the most authentic personal voice.
I hope it will be an entertaining game for you if I go ahead and post all three and let you guess to whom I was writing each time. (Now that I think about it, I am usually writing to a specific person in my life when I create a blog post, and I’ll bet she has no idea that she is the unwittingly chosen one.)
First post:
Broken Lives
5″ x 7″ x 7/8″. Copyright 2009 by Lynn Bridge.
Well, I finished another mosaic tonight. It only took me about two hours to make because I was so focused. Once again, it looks ‘pretty’, cuz it has bright colors in it, and shiny things, but it isn’t a pretty subject, and people will think it’s really weird, but I feel like I just had to tell the story for the sake of the victims.
When I heard from Karen about the shooting today, I could hardly wait to get home and make a piece of art about it. The whole time we were on duty together, she was taking phone calls from people who were asking if she is OK- fortunately, she had a doctor’s appointment in town today before we worked at Micah 6, so she was not on the base when the shooting happened. She had just talked to the man two days ago, and she said he was acting really weird. Just to be respectful, she always thanks him when he comes in to treat the patients, but this time, when she thanked him, he just stared at her and didn’t say anything. She said that, tomorrow when she goes back to work, she dreads the state that the kids will be in- all those young guys she has been treating, and some of them who have seen the shooter for treatment- she doesn’t know how she is going to help them trust anyone again.
You know, I keep on making these pieces about other people’s horrible events, and I keep feeling like I have to give them away instead of sell them because how can I profit from other people’s troubles? On the other hand, I can’t keep on making this stuff and giving it away- I have to make a living somehow. These tiles and glass and stuff get expensive and I can’t go on buying them unless I can make some money along the way. I guess I have to keep making trays or paintings or something to make some money so that I can keep making this other art, too, that I would feel guilty selling. I don’t know what to do. I’m confused. Do I have to quit making this stuff because I can’t afford to anymore?
Second post:
Emergency! Alone Together
12″ x 16 1/8″ x 1 1/4″. Copyright 2009 by Lynn Bridge.
Who has used acrylics before? Did you know that you can pour acrylic paint into molds, let it set up, then pop the shapes out of the molds and stick them on a painting? Let’s do that together this summer! Why don’t you think of a place we need some art and let’s just make it.
Who has looked at a painting before and studied it to see what the subject is and how the artist made the brushstrokes? Do you just read the tag on the wall, or do you try to figure out the painting for yourself? What do you think this painting is about? Why do you think there is so much orange in it? Do you know what those little fluted-edge things are for? (Fluting means ‘scalloping’, those little ruffle-shapes around the edge.)
I have been in places where people have real emergencies all over the city- not just family emergencies in their own houses, but big, public emergencies where people have to run away. I’ve never been in an emergency like that myself, but I’ve heard first-hand about those things, and I’ve been where people have those experiences. In fact, those of you who have gone on our trips over the border in Mexico have been where emergencies are.
Remember when we were in Miguel Aleman, and the Federales were having a shoot-out with two of the drug cartels while we were there? We couldn’t go eat dinner that night and Randall and I had to go out and buy pizza and bring it back to the hotel for you? Well, those people live in an emergency all the time!
So, this painting is about emergencies like that- people are running away from something scary, but they are all alone, even in a crowd. See how the strong and healthy ones aren’t stopping to help the children or the person with the walker? And, I meant those acrylic shapes to look like gears. You know how gears are mechanical and they just keep on turning no matter what, unless something gets stuck in them and forces them to stop? Well, sometimes governments are like that and they just keep doing bad things and grinding up people’s lives until someone or something forces them to stop.
Do you think I should try to sell this painting? What should I do with the money if anyone buys it? Do I get to keep it, or should I donate it to an organization like “Save Darfur”? What am I going to do to make money so that I can keep on making art?
And, what if I’m so busy at another job making money that I don’t have the time or the energy to make art anymore? How is that supposed to work? Can you think of other jobs like that, where it seems like you should not make money doing those jobs?
Third post:
Blood and Tears
Copyright by Lynn Bridge
12″ x 12″ x 2″
In making this mosaic art piece last night, I was still strongly feeling the emotion I had when I heard the NPR report and the interviews with the women who had been savagely raped in the stadium in Conakry, Guinea a few weeks ago. At the time, I had heard about the peaceful pro-democracy protest in the sports stadium by citizens who did not want the current president of the country to run again in the next election, and how the government troops beat and killed some of the protesters.
But, it took several weeks for the reports from the women to come out. Women had been targeted for terror because, in this conservative Muslim society, female victims are especially humiliated if they are sexually assaulted. It is as if the crime is their fault. Here is a link to the program I heard, so that you can listen, too:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113966999
I felt compelled to stop what I was doing at the time, which was driving, and listen to the voices of these women! I could not get home fast enough, and back into my studio, to start work on a mosaic about these women and their experiences.
Once I started cutting glass and mixing cement, I did not stop, and worked into the night until the project was finished. One friend interpreted the white stained-glass shapes as candle flames, a sort of memorial to the victims. I was enthralled by this, as my intention had been to abstractly represent the sharp threat of weapons, while also representing the purity of purpose of the protesters, and someone had just added yet another layer of meaning to my work.
When consulting with a mosaic artist friend about the framing of the piece, I commented that I did not feel right selling the piece and making money from it, as my whole inspiration had been from the victims of violence. I told her that, if I sold it, I would have to donate the money to some human-rights organization. But then, so often I make art about other people’s problems!
I think of myself as a reporter and interpreter all-in-one. I realize that a reporter could not keep going back into the field unless a news organization is paying her way. And a person who owns a company which cleans up and sanitizes crime scenes cannot keep working for sheer benevolence. I believe that I am performing a public service by calling attention to victims and the down-trodden, and to their needs and cries.
Why should I not be able to live, too? Surely there are a few people who want to be reminded of the serious side of life, and who expect to pay the messengers for the effort?
Post-post:
The ethical problem I faced in my mind on this particular work of art was solved when my daughter, who is a budding therapist, chose this as her Christmas present last year. Case closed!
A fellow Blog Triage student here,stopping by to say “hi”. I was completely drawn in to all three versions and fascinated by the difference in the “voice” between them. You’ve got a new fan here, I’ll be back to visit soon. Best ~ Lynn
From one Lynn to another Lynn- thanks for stopping by and reading! (You can easily subscribe to my blog so that you get e-mail updates whenever I post.) I try hard to make my posts relevant for anyone who is breathing! We’re all in this together.
Hi Lynn…That was fascinating reading your 3 posts, but I have to say I was so affected by the 3rd one. Such violence against women is such a difficult subject to deal with, and I felt your work really reflected such a horrific and brutal event. I admire your ability to draw from your emotions in the medium of mosaics….that is something I have had difficulty with, and for me, it seems painting is the medium that allows me to express deep emotions. I also read with interest your dilemma about selling the piece, and thought what a great outcome to have it go to your daughter!
Hi, CM; thanks for reading and commenting! The fact that I have all these horrific mosaics and paintings piling up around here really is a problem. I am afraid to market them, afraid not to market them. But, I keep coming back to the fact that there are a lot of jobs at which people profit from the pain of others, not the least of which is the profession of doctor or nurse. Why not artist?
Hi Lynn
I popped in to see how you handled the homework and feel just a bit q u i e t now.
magnificent meaningful work….deserves audience.
Thanks, Iona. So, seriously, how do you/would you handle artwork that is produced because of others’ pain? Is there a paying audience for such a thing, and if so, would you market this type of work? Or just let it lie there and pay for it through other work you do?
Hey Lynn,
A fellow triage classmate, here. I read your posts because I needed a model of how to do this, but got sucked in to the stories. Thanks for such an awesome “example”. I guess the second post had a student/students in mind for your reader, the first one might have been a best friend. Not sure about the last – someone not as close to you maybe.
Oh, Julie, you are good. The first post was actually a pretty close account of what I told my mom on the phone that day. The second post was what I might say to my 6th-12th grade people at church and the third post was addressed to a potential collector- as you said, someone I don’t know as well.
Hey Lyn, I am particularly thoughtful about your question of handling artwork that is born out of other people’s pain…It’s a really valid, and possibly quite thorny, issue. Last year, I created a piece for an exhibition whose theme was honouring breast cancer sufferers. A friend of mine had just been plunged into that very journey as I started thinking about how I would tackle the piece. With her permission and support, I set about making a book, using pieces of her now uselss bras. ( you could have a look at the blog posts here http://traceyhewitt.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html to start, and then for the rest
http://traceyhewitt.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html) By the time I was done, it was- I think – my strongest ever work, and I felt very challenged at giving it to the exhibiton I had promised it to – for the very reasons you are struggling with. But, I had committed before I even began the work, so felt I had no real choice. And I was so pleased I sent it. It deeply moved so many people who looked at it, and my friends husband purchased it for her at the auction, which I initally felt sick about – All I wanted to do was give it to them! But, after a long talk, they convinced me that the creation of this piece was terribly meaningful to them and they treasured the expression of their experience. I’m not sure if I’m wording this at all well – but I guess what I would like to share is that these are powerful pieces, and have the potential to deeply touch and move people, and isn’t that what art is all about? And, as my friends pointed out, the exchange of money is really just a transfer of energy… maybe not how everyone looks at it, but I settled on the thinking that I had spent some energy, I had received some in return and I chose to share a portion of that again with the fundraiser for research.
Sorry for prattling on for so long! I hope that is some help in your consideration of the handling of these types of pieces!
Also – I love them! Your mosiacs are quite powerful…good on you!
Tracey, that is really helpful and not at all rambling. I keep coming back to the fact that many people- reporters, ambulance drivers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, crime investigators, ad infinitum- make a living on other people’s pain, but are necessary for the survival and improvement of society. Perhaps my hesitation about making money from pain in art stems from that deep doubt that art is valuable, that maybe it really is extraneous (which is the primary attitude toward it in our society). Of course, in tribal society, the duty of artist is right there next to and overlapping with the medicine man/woman and the chief. No one would question the right of the artist to eat. Next, I will read your links.
Wow! Not only was your post inspiring and gut wrenching. The comments and responses are so sensitive and interesting. Your work is dynamic, vibrant and intriguing at the same time. Your passion and emotion come through quite strongly.
Thanks for reading and for your encouragement, Liza. I think that having a class in which we are contemplating each others’ work is extremely valuable. I plan on picking your brains for the next four weeks. 🙂
Lyn – I would agree – we probably all struggle with the ‘worthiness’ issue from time to time. I’m glad my comment was helpful – it felt a bit “me me me” as I was writing it! But it was one of my careers most significant experiences, and I hoped it might offer a different point of view.
Lynn, I was moved by the visceral and very physical nature of your responses to these events. As a reporter and interpreter, you are vital to our culture–artistic expression about horrific events because people are often better able to absorb the depth of the stories when they are given additional means of experiencing them. You deserve to be paid!
Lynn, I think we create our best work when we closely identify with the subject we are representing. It is interesting so see how others interpret our work as in the case of your blood and tears work above. I can see how it is open to both interpretations. Personally I also say it as candle flames – what we take away from an artwork is always coulured by our own experience, it is subjective. It reflects how we look at life, do we look for sorrow and lack or upliftment and abundance? I am reminded of a mentor who once said to me there is a gift in every experience in life, if we can find it.
I almost wonder if I was making candle flames unconsciously……….. ? Thanks for reading and commenting on the post!!!
Wow! I was moved reading each of the tree stories but the third one strikes a chord in me, its heartbreaking to see such atrocities happening to women in a time where a big part of the world is moving towards women empowerment. But more than that I am moved by the inspiration you drew out of it and chose to share your compassion for them through your art. Simply amazing! and I am looking forward to your future posts… its rare to meet people with such compassion and such talent to express it…
Thanks for your great words of encouragement, Joyita. I do know a lot of people with compassion who express it in prose, in dance, and in poetry, and I’m just trying to carry awareness and awaken compassion through mosaic. My greatest inspirations for this kind of art are the people who work tirelessly as medical missionaries, as volunteer consultants and workers in undeveloped countries, and the people who live and work for the betterment of their own society in northern Mexico, just a few hours’ drive away from my home.
I’ll play! I haven’t read anyone else’s comments before I guess who your target audience is for each post:
1. BFF; 2. student; 3. ideal reader
Do I win?
Fascinating content in all of the posts, and in the older post you linked to on the class blog.
You are good- and very, very close. The first post was written to my mom, the second to the 11- 18-year-olds at my church and the third post was written to a collector. Thanks for reading and commenting!