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How one man can give thousands of people a voice, without saying a word?
» By Alex Lord
Is art a form of language?
Or just a thing of beauty?
Could one man shrouded in anonymity become the most talked about hot topic in Art?
Should political debate rage on paint splattered walls as well as in the corridors of the House of Commons?
Can art ever be truly a global phenomenon?
Who is JR and does anyone care?
Paris in the noughties. A stale artistic world. Dust settling on the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. A country tied down in history and failing to look at the future. A mental block, a form of artistic depression descending on the city. A blank canvas waiting for even a smudge of inspiration. Until…
Enter JR. An enigmatic French painter, lifting the blinkers off Parisian eyes and removing them from the restrictions of the constrained avenues. JR, who started off creating street art within the hustle and bustle of those neglected Parisian avenues. JR, fast becoming a cult figure inside and outside of the art world. Now, you may be wondering 'Why would a French artist be the subject of an article in this section?' However, keep reading and I will convince you that this man deserves attention.
Impressions, reactions as well as the thoughts and meanings behind JR's work have led to such fame. JR isn't just an artist, not just a photographer, but rather a phenomenon, a cultural treasure who believes that art is not just something to look at, and something to admire, but more importantly it's a medium to a state of peace and a significant end to numerous global conflicts. Admirable, non? Mais, oui… especially from someone with no artistic capabilities or qualifications.
JR's work has gone global. His pieces have moved into several continents. Probably his most famous work is what is known as "Face 2 Face". This is a project that JR created on the border between Israel
and Palestine; a place which is significant due to the persistent conflict
between the two areas in recent decades. JR believed that he could
personally improve such relationships. Many would see the medium of
art to be both implausible and impossible as a solution. However, he saw
art as a stepping stone to peace rather than a broken bridge of political
despair.
JR wanted to show that what actually separates the two cultures is less than a few miles, and he thought photography would be the way to achieve this. JR asked men and women from both Israeli and Palestinian communities to step up in front of his lens, and pull whatever wacky face they wanted, whether this be a smile, laughter or tears. He then placed one picture of a Palestinian next to that of a similar Israeli, and pasted these photographs in a grand scale across the separating wall and across towns within both countries. This audacious and ambitious project showed people that they weren't all that different after all and that things as simple as art and laughter could break through the blockade of prejudice!
"Women are Heroes" is another one of JR's acclaimed artistic adventures. In this project he became even more daring, creating photography as well as a short film that was later shown at the Cannes Film Festival. JR ventured deep within slums and poverty stricken villages; the places that you may well see on Comic Relief programmes, but can't bear to look at and so change the channel. Armed with his camera, JR set out to take pictures of women who 'stare death in the face daily' and who at every turn will fight away the tears, women who smile just to give their children hope. However, JR didn't want to portray these struggles. His main aim was to show what matters and what we all share, the fact that we're human, and the beauty of that simple premise. These images, along with the words spoken by the women were then posted all over the local community and city centres, covering houses, buildings, community centres and even buses across Rio de Janeiro, Delhi and one of the world's largest slums, Kibera in Kenya. JR later made "Women are Heroes" into a short film, by combining his photos with interviews with the women who had made the whole project possible.
The project, "Portraits of a Generation" was another one of JR's
masterpieces. This was one of JR's first pieces of art, and the first one to
get him into the public eye. Based in his home city of Paris, JR felt that
preconceptions were awash in the city and that, just as was the case
in his other projects, people were judging others purely on the basis
of stereotypes. He felt that the teenagers living in the least well off,
least publicised parts of East Paris were simply being perceived as drug-
obsessed, crime-obsessed youths. However, he believed this was unjust.
JR made his arguments visible by posting photographs of the teens
in the area with an innocent smile on their face having fun, a million
miles away from the misconceptions of the middle class Parisians. This
provoked the average passer-by to stop and rethink their previous
opinions.
'The street provides me with support, the wall, the atmosphere, but especially the people. Depending on where I put the photo, the whole thing changes'. JR is an astonishing mind, artist and ambassador. JR has managed to break down the wall of stereotypes by creating fascinating art. He manages to convey the face of humanity individual by individual, not simply as a group. He is a man who can give thousands a voice, without saying a word.
Or just a thing of beauty?
Could one man shrouded in anonymity become the most talked about hot topic in Art?
Should political debate rage on paint splattered walls as well as in the corridors of the House of Commons?
Can art ever be truly a global phenomenon?
Who is JR and does anyone care?
Paris in the noughties. A stale artistic world. Dust settling on the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. A country tied down in history and failing to look at the future. A mental block, a form of artistic depression descending on the city. A blank canvas waiting for even a smudge of inspiration. Until…
Enter JR. An enigmatic French painter, lifting the blinkers off Parisian eyes and removing them from the restrictions of the constrained avenues. JR, who started off creating street art within the hustle and bustle of those neglected Parisian avenues. JR, fast becoming a cult figure inside and outside of the art world. Now, you may be wondering 'Why would a French artist be the subject of an article in this section?' However, keep reading and I will convince you that this man deserves attention.
Impressions, reactions as well as the thoughts and meanings behind JR's work have led to such fame. JR isn't just an artist, not just a photographer, but rather a phenomenon, a cultural treasure who believes that art is not just something to look at, and something to admire, but more importantly it's a medium to a state of peace and a significant end to numerous global conflicts. Admirable, non? Mais, oui… especially from someone with no artistic capabilities or qualifications.
JR's work has gone global. His pieces have moved into several continents. Probably his most famous work is what is known as "Face 2 Face". This is a project that JR created on the border between Israel
and Palestine; a place which is significant due to the persistent conflict
between the two areas in recent decades. JR believed that he could
personally improve such relationships. Many would see the medium of
art to be both implausible and impossible as a solution. However, he saw
art as a stepping stone to peace rather than a broken bridge of political
despair.
JR wanted to show that what actually separates the two cultures is less than a few miles, and he thought photography would be the way to achieve this. JR asked men and women from both Israeli and Palestinian communities to step up in front of his lens, and pull whatever wacky face they wanted, whether this be a smile, laughter or tears. He then placed one picture of a Palestinian next to that of a similar Israeli, and pasted these photographs in a grand scale across the separating wall and across towns within both countries. This audacious and ambitious project showed people that they weren't all that different after all and that things as simple as art and laughter could break through the blockade of prejudice!
"Women are Heroes" is another one of JR's acclaimed artistic adventures. In this project he became even more daring, creating photography as well as a short film that was later shown at the Cannes Film Festival. JR ventured deep within slums and poverty stricken villages; the places that you may well see on Comic Relief programmes, but can't bear to look at and so change the channel. Armed with his camera, JR set out to take pictures of women who 'stare death in the face daily' and who at every turn will fight away the tears, women who smile just to give their children hope. However, JR didn't want to portray these struggles. His main aim was to show what matters and what we all share, the fact that we're human, and the beauty of that simple premise. These images, along with the words spoken by the women were then posted all over the local community and city centres, covering houses, buildings, community centres and even buses across Rio de Janeiro, Delhi and one of the world's largest slums, Kibera in Kenya. JR later made "Women are Heroes" into a short film, by combining his photos with interviews with the women who had made the whole project possible.
The project, "Portraits of a Generation" was another one of JR's
masterpieces. This was one of JR's first pieces of art, and the first one to
get him into the public eye. Based in his home city of Paris, JR felt that
preconceptions were awash in the city and that, just as was the case
in his other projects, people were judging others purely on the basis
of stereotypes. He felt that the teenagers living in the least well off,
least publicised parts of East Paris were simply being perceived as drug-
obsessed, crime-obsessed youths. However, he believed this was unjust.
JR made his arguments visible by posting photographs of the teens
in the area with an innocent smile on their face having fun, a million
miles away from the misconceptions of the middle class Parisians. This
provoked the average passer-by to stop and rethink their previous
opinions.
'The street provides me with support, the wall, the atmosphere, but especially the people. Depending on where I put the photo, the whole thing changes'. JR is an astonishing mind, artist and ambassador. JR has managed to break down the wall of stereotypes by creating fascinating art. He manages to convey the face of humanity individual by individual, not simply as a group. He is a man who can give thousands a voice, without saying a word.
The Twitterbug Bites Back
» By Ally Hutchinson
“That is definitely going on Facebook!” How many times have you walked into a room to find yourself thrown into a conversation usually evolving along the lines of “Can you believe what happened on Facebook last night? What…you mean you didn’t see it?” Awkward. You have just commited the ultimate social suicide. Yet, whilst social networking has become the pivotal point our lives revolve around, it can have extremely negative side effects which go far beyond the realms of social exclusion.
It is our original thoughts that define us as individuals; however, we must ask ourselves the question: just how original are our thoughts? Through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, it would seem that our thoughts are being inevitably imposed upon us. It is critical for us to consider whether this ‘modern day dictatorship’ is the devil’s answer to cyber bullying or whether it is simply the best thing since sliced bread.
After Cheryl Cole stepped out in October last year with newly dyed red hair, we saw the rise of the red head revolution. Beauty manufacturers L'Oreal reported their ‘Mahogany’ home-dye kits were sold out of stores nationwide within the first week of Cheryl Cole’s red head transformation. It was impossible to turn anywhere without being greeted by a sea of red blobs; here, blobs being the perfect definition. It seems we are so desperate to conform to the latest move the “nation’s sweetheart” makes we are being turned into mindless blobs ourselves. We may as well be walking, talking potatoes. But at least we will all have cool hair. Perhaps we cannot hold Cheryl completely responsible for this however, despite her questionable taste in fashion (for further details see ‘Fight For This Love’ music video). It is an unspoken rule that every new ‘image alteration,’ whether it be a new hair cut, a new hair colour or even a new hair clip we just had to have (or else face living in a hole as a social outcast forever), must be ‘top news’ for everybody we know. For this to be done it must a) be documented (i.e. take a photo) and b) be publically acknowledged (i.e. put it on facebook). We then sit back, refresh our browsers once every thirty seconds, and wait to see how many ‘likes’ our new fashionable and ‘completely different’ hairstyle can get. Even though, in reality, we look exactly the same as everybody else.
“If you make someone unhappy in the physical world, they might tell 6 friends. If you make someone unhappy on the Internet, they can tell 6,000 friends.”-Jeff Bezos, CEO at amazon.com
Jeff Bozo is on to something here. The words “say it to my face” are practically meaningless now. The real threat comes with the words “say it to my Facebook.” Whilst these words may never actually pass through anyone’s lips, this is a dominant fear for us all. We know that if any tiny disagreement we have with someone is published on Facebook we instantly have not one person to deal with, but all 500 of their friends. People of our parents’ generation simply do not understand the Facebook fear. Similarly, never have they had to worry about every single mortifying detail of their lives being published online for the whole world to see and then have to experience it being turned into one huge public joke. That overwhelmingly embarrassing time you jumped over a sofa and ripped your trousers cannot be laughed about with the two people present. Oh, no…it must be shared, through pictures, through statuses, through wall posts, so every single person you know can also share in your humiliation and then continue to remind you of it for months to come. Because it was… Just. So. Funny.
Dick Costolo, Twitter's CEO, announced last week that Twitter has 100 million users. The site additionally has 400 million monthly unique visitors, up to 230 million tweets are sent per day and three million websites have the Tweet button on their sites. The scope for influence is huge. As overtly and undeniably interesting it is to learn that @lilyrosecooper (lily allen) -“loves [her] iced bun and cup of tea”-the fact that within the first hour of the tweet being posted 155 people had responded to it speaks volumes about what we really consider important. Ultimately, it speaks volumes about what we are doing with our lives. The silent but consistent pressure placed upon the majority of us all to conform to the trend of social networking is undoubtedly a result of the mass influence from public figures to put every-single-aspect of our lives online.
For the majority of us today you are nothing if you do not exist online. It now appears that to not conform is to not accept…to not accept is to live in denial, and is this really living at all? Despite its painfully obvious flaws one thing is certain: Facebook and all other forms of social networking are not going to go away. Perhaps it is simply how we use Facebook and not the site itself that is causing so many problems. In spirit of this, I would urge you all not to sit at your computer screen and hit the refresh button every 30 seconds. Do what I do. Wait at least a minute.
It is our original thoughts that define us as individuals; however, we must ask ourselves the question: just how original are our thoughts? Through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, it would seem that our thoughts are being inevitably imposed upon us. It is critical for us to consider whether this ‘modern day dictatorship’ is the devil’s answer to cyber bullying or whether it is simply the best thing since sliced bread. After Cheryl Cole stepped out in October last year with newly dyed red hair, we saw the rise of the red head revolution. Beauty manufacturers L'Oreal reported their ‘Mahogany’ home-dye kits were sold out of stores nationwide within the first week of Cheryl Cole’s red head transformation. It was impossible to turn anywhere without being greeted by a sea of red blobs; here, blobs being the perfect definition. It seems we are so desperate to conform to the latest move the “nation’s sweetheart” makes we are being turned into mindless blobs ourselves. We may as well be walking, talking potatoes. But at least we will all have cool hair. Perhaps we cannot hold Cheryl completely responsible for this however, despite her questionable taste in fashion (for further details see ‘Fight For This Love’ music video). It is an unspoken rule that every new ‘image alteration,’ whether it be a new hair cut, a new hair colour or even a new hair clip we just had to have (or else face living in a hole as a social outcast forever), must be ‘top news’ for everybody we know. For this to be done it must a) be documented (i.e. take a photo) and b) be publically acknowledged (i.e. put it on facebook). We then sit back, refresh our browsers once every thirty seconds, and wait to see how many ‘likes’ our new fashionable and ‘completely different’ hairstyle can get. Even though, in reality, we look exactly the same as everybody else.
“If you make someone unhappy in the physical world, they might tell 6 friends. If you make someone unhappy on the Internet, they can tell 6,000 friends.”-Jeff Bezos, CEO at amazon.com
Jeff Bozo is on to something here. The words “say it to my face” are practically meaningless now. The real threat comes with the words “say it to my Facebook.” Whilst these words may never actually pass through anyone’s lips, this is a dominant fear for us all. We know that if any tiny disagreement we have with someone is published on Facebook we instantly have not one person to deal with, but all 500 of their friends. People of our parents’ generation simply do not understand the Facebook fear. Similarly, never have they had to worry about every single mortifying detail of their lives being published online for the whole world to see and then have to experience it being turned into one huge public joke. That overwhelmingly embarrassing time you jumped over a sofa and ripped your trousers cannot be laughed about with the two people present. Oh, no…it must be shared, through pictures, through statuses, through wall posts, so every single person you know can also share in your humiliation and then continue to remind you of it for months to come. Because it was… Just. So. Funny.
Dick Costolo, Twitter's CEO, announced last week that Twitter has 100 million users. The site additionally has 400 million monthly unique visitors, up to 230 million tweets are sent per day and three million websites have the Tweet button on their sites. The scope for influence is huge. As overtly and undeniably interesting it is to learn that @lilyrosecooper (lily allen) -“loves [her] iced bun and cup of tea”-the fact that within the first hour of the tweet being posted 155 people had responded to it speaks volumes about what we really consider important. Ultimately, it speaks volumes about what we are doing with our lives. The silent but consistent pressure placed upon the majority of us all to conform to the trend of social networking is undoubtedly a result of the mass influence from public figures to put every-single-aspect of our lives online.
For the majority of us today you are nothing if you do not exist online. It now appears that to not conform is to not accept…to not accept is to live in denial, and is this really living at all? Despite its painfully obvious flaws one thing is certain: Facebook and all other forms of social networking are not going to go away. Perhaps it is simply how we use Facebook and not the site itself that is causing so many problems. In spirit of this, I would urge you all not to sit at your computer screen and hit the refresh button every 30 seconds. Do what I do. Wait at least a minute.