For many years ago I participated in a show with many writers, acitvists and artists, the topic was Images of War in Contemporary world, http://jordancrandall.com/main/+UNDERFIRE/underfire.html Two small books collected our discussions, Under Fire one and two, http://www.amazon.com/Jordan-Crandall-Under-Fire-Part/dp/907336261X
It was the French curator Catherine David, the first appointed female curator at Documenta., who was the chef for Witte de Witt Art Centre in Rotterdam, Holland, who was behind the show and many others dealing with the images of the Arabs in the Contemporary World. She was one of the first Western curators in the world of visual arts trying to understand how the image of the Arabs was coloured with many prejudges and ignorance. Her work with these issues can still be viewed here, http://www.fundaciotapies.org/site/spip.php?article4543 The last station of her ongoing touring exhibitions was about Iraq and she invited to Berlin, to Barcelona and to Sweden some of the most interesting artists and writers from the Iraqui diaspora, http://www.fundaciotapies.org/site/spip.php?article4543 I curated the Swedish part, connecting it with my own project, Crusading, http://ceciliaparsberg.se/crusading/about.htm Ana On Wed, Aug 27, 2014 at 9:13 PM, Alan Sondheim <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I'd love to see work, here, or a show, or something, a conversation, > around these things. At one point a few weeks ago, I saw an American > newscaster preparing for the news, he was holding back tears, looking > shell-shocked - > > > > On Wed, 27 Aug 2014, Ana Vald?s wrote: > > by the way, written f?r a Lybian poet, friend of a friend, some hours ago: >> >> >> " >> >> Tripoli on fire. I have fled my house after attacks by rockets. It was >> looted & occupied by militias. Things are going for more chaos." >> >> >> Now when Gaza is relative calm Tripoli burns... >> >> Ana >> >> >> >> On Wed, Aug 27, 2014 at 7:20 PM, Alan Sondheim <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> >> I want to thank everyone as well, working in these areas isn't, >> for me, like doing art in a way, but trying to disentangle >> anguish. I have no idea how to go anywhere with this, >> politically; I feel hopeless, and the U.S. is a convoluted mess >> of ideologies - not even competing, but isolated from >> each other. Argh! (not the right expletive, but I'm not sure >> what would be!) >> >> Thank you again, Alan >> >> On Wed, 27 Aug 2014, dave miller wrote: >> >> Well done Alan for tackling these subjects. I agree >> artists should not be >> silent (and that includes me, but am struggling to >> get my creative act >> together at present). But you are an inspiration to >> me - please keep up the >> great work! >> Ana - I had contact with Opus Dei many years ago. I >> was a student at >> manchester University and desperately needed >> somewhere to live. All the >> student flats and halls had been filled by the time >> I started looking and >> the only accommodation the Uni had available was a >> hall of residence run by >> the Opus Dei. As a naive 19 year old I was >> interviewed by a very stern >> spanish man in a brown cloak, dressed like a monk, >> who said I could live >> there but I would have to go to mass at 6am every >> morning. I was brought up >> as a catholic so it wasn't too alien to me, and I >> was unsure at that stage >> of my life if I believed or not, but I turned them >> down as i remember having >> very strange feelings about the whole setup, plus >> the mass idea was a >> nightmare. Also I knew I couldn't survive in a place >> like that, it felt like >> a monastery. But there were people there I >> recognised from my course, and I >> remember their reaction to me was strange like I'd >> seen them as they really >> were. >> I've heard a lot of horror stories about Opus Dei >> since and can't believe I >> stupidly found myself in that situation. >> >> Your account about being tortured is fascinating - >> heart breaking - >> terrifying and very thought provoking. Thanks for >> sharing something so >> personal. >> >> cheers dave >> >> >> >> >> On 27 August 2014 18:57, Alan Sondheim >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> I will read it and I know all of this and I >> was also shot at in >> Israel years ago and I am horrified by Israel. >> I do think ISIS >> is the result of something else but it is the >> logic of the war >> machine, the Israeli war machine ours, the >> streets of Ferguson - >> which could be anywhere in the U.S. What I'm >> arguing is that >> this something else cannot be explained, that >> poetics are >> necessary - and why are artists so silent on >> this? >> This is NOT US against THEM - this is US >> against ourselves. >> >> I also feel, having been a somewhat minor >> member of the left all >> thru the 60s in the US etc. etc. that we too >> easily blame >> ourselves for EVERYTHING - we are part of the >> problem, but so is >> ISIS. The "also" is important below - they are >> more than these >> children. I've known a lot of children of >> concentration camp >> parents and their reactions are wildly varied >> (including in >> several cases moving to Germany); none of this >> is simple cause >> and affect. >> >> I was also btw in Israel when Nassir was >> calling for the Jews to >> be drowned in the sea, when my friends were >> being shot at, when >> I had a knife pulled on me in my own dorm >> room, when an Arab who >> was my friend was beaten to an inch of his >> life and dropped in a >> gully (beaten by other Arabs). Violence breeds >> violence. I'm not >> trying to analyze the politics of ISIS - I >> read about them but >> I'm not capable of political science - but I >> am trying to deal >> with the poetics/poesis of what's inside each >> of us. >> >> Alan >> >> On Wed, 27 Aug 2014, Ana Vald?s wrote: >> >> Alan, read it, please, ISIS is also the >> children of the >> terrible war againt Irak, a war based on false >> information >> and cheap oil. ISIS is the children of the >> drones hitting >> villagers weddings in Pakistan. No, we don't >> see the >> drones but the victims see us, all, Westerner, >> as the ones >> sending the drones. >> >> >> www.commondreams.org/views/2014/08/25/how-brutalized- >> become-brutal >> >> I was in Gaza some years ago, the same week >> Rachel Corrie >> was killed, >> crushed by a bulldozzer send to crush the >> houses at the >> border. >> Many small kids ran to the morgue to see her >> dead body, I >> wonder how many of >> them are in the ranks of Hamas today. >> >> I was myselt tortured for many years ago, I >> was tortured >> by fellow landsmen >> who believed they needed punish me for not >> sharing their >> ideas about many >> things >> >> >> http://www.counterpunch.org/2006/03/28/torture-works/ >> >> I marched with the women survivors of >> Srebrenica in the >> ex-Yugoslavia some >> years ago as well, they want still justice for >> their dead >> relatives >> >> We live in a time where Ferguson, Gaza, >> Montevideo, >> Srebrenica, carry >> painful memories to share. >> >> Ana >> >> >> On Wed, Aug 27, 2014 at 2:35 PM, Alan Sondheim >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> ISIS NEWFLAG >> >> http://www.alansondheim.org/isisflag.png >> http://www.alansondheim.org/isisflag.mp4 >> >> A new flag for ISIS. A cross turned, >> kindly bent to >> let >> the bodies down, perhaps an arm remains, >> propping >> the >> rest of the weight. the wounded. Perhaps >> an X, sign >> of >> belonging, gratitude to the beautiful >> clean world. >> There >> are no animals here. Perhaps an X which >> itself moves >> in >> violence, the focus of someone else's >> dream: it was >> the >> land and its god which did the dreaming. >> Perhaps an >> occlusion of solar light, a moment's >> cooling. But a >> new >> flag, new allure, new days and new >> bodies. >> >> The allure of the X as well, a new flat >> for the >> taking, >> copyright patent NEWFLAG, new bodies, >> worlds to >> conquer. >> New: forms of torture, ransom, violence, >> pillage. >> New: nations, cleansings, war machines, >> prisons. >> New: religions new-day dawning, new >> controls. >> New: cleansed women, children. New: >> thanks be to >> God. >> Thanks be to God. HE almighty. Thanks be >> to God. >> >> Perhaps an X, carved, above or through >> the eyes. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> >> >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> >> >> >> -- >> http://www.twitter.com/caravia15860606060 >> http://www.scoop.it/t/art-and-activism/ >> http://www.scoop.it/t/food-history-and-trivia >> http://www.scoop.it/t/urbanism-3-0 >> >> >> >> cell Sweden +4670-3213370 >> cell Uruguay +598-99470758 >> >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will >> forever walk >> the earth with your >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been >> and there you >> will always long >> to return. >> ? Leonardo da Vinci >> >> >> >> == >> email archive http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/ >> web http://www.alansondheim.org / cell 718-813-3285 >> music: http://www.espdisk.com/alansondheim/ >> current text http://www.alansondheim.org/st.txt >> == >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> >> >> >> >> == >> email archive http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/ >> web http://www.alansondheim.org / cell 718-813-3285 >> music: http://www.espdisk.com/alansondheim/ >> current text http://www.alansondheim.org/st.txt >> == >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> >> >> >> -- >> http://www.twitter.com/caravia15860606060 >> http://www.scoop.it/t/art-and-activism/ >> http://www.scoop.it/t/food-history-and-trivia >> http://www.scoop.it/t/urbanism-3-0 >> >> >> >> cell Sweden +4670-3213370 >> cell Uruguay +598-99470758 >> >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with >> your >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always >> long >> to return. >> ? Leonardo da Vinci >> >> >> > == > email archive http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/ > web http://www.alansondheim.org / cell 718-813-3285 > music: http://www.espdisk.com/alansondheim/ > current text http://www.alansondheim.org/st.txt > == > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > -- http://www.twitter.com/caravia15860606060 http://www.scoop.it/t/art-and-activism/ http://www.scoop.it/t/food-history-and-trivia http://www.scoop.it/t/urbanism-3-0 <http://www.scoop.it/t/postcolonial-mind/> cell Sweden +4670-3213370 cell Uruguay +598-99470758 "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long to return. — Leonardo da Vinci
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