Tomorrow afternoon you will be hearing from two faculty who are going to analyze the photos of "Beyond the Backyard," exhibition from the Contemporary Museum of Photography. So that you all are on the ball for tomorrow, I want you to--
1) Recall your favorite/most interesting photo in detail. Describe why you were intersted in it and what it "means" in the larger scheme of the exhibition.
2) Make an argument about the overall message of this exhibition. What does it tell us about American Culture, about backyards,etc? In other words, what are some beliefs--possibly the larger myth--that frames and guides the choices of the photographers, of the curator (the guy who chose the photos for the exhibition)?
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My favorite picture was when Kohei Yoshiypia taking Tokyo. The picture was showing people in the woods having sexual intercourse and liking what they were doing. I thought that the pictures where nasty but it helped with my idea of positive risk taking. Kohei was taking a risk by standing in the woods filming others having sex. It was showing how S.T.D.s spread and what changes in Tokyo needed to be done. They should have shut down the public to stop the sexual intercourses going on in that area.
In Tokyo they believe in exploration to public sex. They should stop that because if a younger adult was to see the action of sexual intercourse then maybe they would want to do the same thing. Public sex can cause S.T.D.s and sickness for sex partners.
A back yard is for private space for the whole family. This means that if you are stuck in your back yard then you’re not able to see a view of the world. Being in the back yard examined how you can’t explore outside of your most common areas.
My favorite photograph from the Contemporary Museum of Photography was titled Jump Rope, by Marc Pokemper on the first floor. This picture illustrates three little girls around the ages of 10-12 jumping rope in front of the high rises, in front of the projects. This photograph is interesting to me because it illustrates children from the projects having good clean fun. They’re not doing anything wrong like fighting or stealing. For example, in Our America Johnny and Tyrone’s idea of having fun was stealing from stores, but in Jump Rope these girls are having fun in a positive way.
I think the overall message for the photograph is children from the projects can have fun in their environment. American people cherish their backyards with extreme importance. The backyard is where the barbecues happen, football games, and etc. It’s a friend and family thing, people feel comfortable in their own personal space. The backyard can be a mental getaway also. For example, if you were having a bad day at work or a bad day period, you can still look forward to relax in your own backyard and reflect on your day.
My favorite photograph was of the little girl around 6 or 7 in the pool. She had make-up on and was in the process of smoking a cigarette it was another girl in the pool doing the same thing. It shocked me becaused it portrayed what it showed which was kids growing up to soon. It said to me that America Culture is growing fast because kids are doing that in reality. Beyond the backyard brings out the reality it reveals to people that we are all the same but different at the same time. We are the same because we all hide something from the world. The way we differ depends on the secret we're hiding.The secrets being the things you wont reveal in the front yard sort of speak.
My favorite photo is the picture by Ellen Mark called “Amanda and her cousin” in the photo is a little girl who is smoking a cigarette in a pool. This photo is very interesting because it is not something that you see every day. It made me wonder if children as young as seven to twelve smoke. This exhibition tells us exactly how fast America is moving today. I think the overall message of the exhibition is: People are blinded by what truly goes on in our own backyards. I believe since in general America is busy and moving so fast that we forget to look at the things that are going on around us. Not many people step back and analyze the events that are happening around us. Most people take a look at the bigger picture such has what’s going on politically, than what is going on locally like what children are doing now.
The most interesting picture to me was the “Motion Sound Landscape” This was a black and white picture with a blurry look to it. I couldn’t figure out what most of the objects were in the picture. But I did notice a spooky looking tree with no leafs. I figured it was a forest preserve due to threes and the way the ground looked. On the left side there was a huge dark object. It was hard to see, but it almost looked like a house. That would make sense because the exhibitions was about backyards, and I’m thinking the house was built in a forest setting.
This whole exhibition was about backyards. These photos represented the way Americans value back yards. Part of this value comes from the idea of the” American Dream”. A home with a white picket fence and a back yard for the children to play in. Americans have a certain respect level for their back yards. Many citizens in other countries aren’t fortune enough to experience the backyard like we have.
When visiting the Contemporary Museum of Photography, there was a photo that really struck my interest, for my theme of my final paper and just personally. It was a photo of a chill spot, that is decked off in a wooded area by a lake. In the photo, you see, couches, chairs, a tree root, beer bottles, alcohol bottles, etc. It depicts what they do, in their escape spot, and shows that this spot is significant to them, and not others. Some will look at the photo and say it means nothing, but I guarantee the people that took this photo and are involved in this spot, believe that it's way much more. They probably use it as a get away from the everyday life, meaning their routine. Most people in this world have a routine they live by, without even knowing that they're life is routine. They get up and just do what they are use to without every changing it up. In my opinion that's boring. You gotta at least have a space that you escape to, to get some fun time, or whatever the case may be. That is mainly the idea I pull from just looking at the photo.
I'm not gonna lie, at first I thought the Backyard exhibit was pointless. However, looking back on it, I realized that it's just way more than a backyard to some. A backyard to some may secure their wealth. Meaning that usually houses have backyards, some people may view that as being financially comfortable. There are no backyards for people that stay in apartments, projects, etc. Many people with the luxury of having a backyard, also get the luxury of owning material things such as pool, trampolines, basketball courts, sheds, etc. Alot of people that have that luxury take it for granted though. I know some people to this day, that wish they had a backyard, just to have a spot for their children to play safely. Obviously the people that took the photos of these various backyards, do not take a backyard for granted. In other words, they cherish having one. So here's a question for you, will you choose to have that apartment with no extras, (backyard, pool, court, etc) or will you have all that luxury and knowing that you've worked hard for something as minor as a backyard!?
Okay so like my most Major Favorite picture that was at the museum was the photo of the woman on the 3rd floor dancing in a bikini In front of a man that you would think is her hubby. It seems like a personal picture. Kind of like someone was spying from the bushes. When you look close the family looks like the typical everyday American family during the day. At night they have like a secret kind of life that their neighbors don’t even know about. I really thought that the picture was really fascinating. It gives you the inside looks on someone else’s life. You’re kind of being a peeping tom without the consequences. Not every family is how they look on the day to day bases. They have little quirks that make them who they are. The picture really reminds of the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith. When the family went out everyday People thought of them as the typical middle class family. The wife cooked, the hubby went to work. Average and boring when you look at them. But they had a secret life that even their partner had no clue about. The picture has that kind of appeal that since you have seen them in their natural behavior; you wonder what kind of life they have during the day.
I think that in a large since the backyard theme was to show that everyone had their own special place and that everybody’s special place is different then the others. No ones yard is the same. The photographers were trying to not every backyard is going to look like perfectly cut with the picket white fence and the kids toys in a corner. Some of the pictures were actually making fun of the whole motif. Some of the gardens were uncared for. Others where full of junk and stuff that seemed useless. The whole idea behind the exhibit was that all people gather in the backyard to have the peace that they want while other use It as a meeting place for family and friends.
My favorite piece at the Contemporary Museum of Photography was a photo of what seemed to be a wooded area that had been cleared out in order to have some chairs and an old beat up couch. The photo has empty bottles of booze and an empty beer case with other trash scattered all over. To me this picture described not my life style but a little piece of my life because I have gone out to the woods with friends and gotten drunk for what seemed to be no reason.
People have yards for one reason to feel like they own a piece of America. I guess its part of the “American Dream” where you have a house with a yard and a family. As Americans we have wanted land and when we had the land we wanted more. When Europeans first showed up we took the land and then we kill some Native Americans for their land and that happened a few more times till we had what is the U.S. We’ve wanted land since we showed up and we still want all the land we can get. When people buy a huge house they always have a huge piece of land. Owning land in my mind is a huge dick measuring contest. The more land you owe the bigger you dick is and that’s all life is. One big dick measuring contest.
When I saw the picture of the couch, chairs, dirt, trash, and old trees in the forest. It reminded me of my neighborhood because of the negligence that goes on in my own city. This picture made it really hit home for me because of everything in the picture. It resembles things that go on in my city like the trees that have been there for years and no matter how many trees there are you don’t just look at one. People from where I live all have the same story about why they are the way they are. The trash represents the how much people care about their neighborhood and in a way it represents the people there to.
I think that we aren’t considerate of different cultures and the way that they live in America. We don’t learn from others because we don’t feel the need to broaden are horizons. Some Americans in my eyes are very lazy because of the benefits that we get such as welfare and section 8. We tend to get to comfortable and lose sight of what we should be trying to achieve.
One of the pictures that grabbed my attention was the picture of a yard with a bunch of lawn ornaments up. There are over fifty lawn ornaments around the front and back yard. Some of the ornaments are pink flamingos, lawn gnomes, Christmas/Halloween decorations, a statue of Jesus, pin mills, and beware of dog sign. I like this picture because it symbolizes the freedom that people have with their yards. That people can display and do whatever they want to the yard. The exhibition displays the American backyard and how people use it.
The message of this exhibition is display the American backyard. The American backyard consists cut grass, a fence, and maybe porch. There is always an area in the back yard where there is peace and relaxation. Some beliefs are that backyards have to look good, but you must put work into it for it to look good. The backyard goes all the way back to the English. The English believed in property and its value. The English believed that land was worth something and this myth has carried over to the United States. The United States has signs like beware of dog. This sign says I don’t want you near my property, and if you come into my yard I might have a dog that might attack you. Another sign is the keep out of restricted area sign. This means that Americans use their land to keep items away from other people.
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