FLUXUS BOX
Fluxus Box
Title: Fasle Sense of Decadence
Materials: Wood repurposed from pallet, spray paint, acrylic paint, glue, card stock paper
Dimensions: 1 ft x 3.5 ft x 6 in
The film that inspired this project was The Outlaw Josey Wales- the tale of a man whose life and family was destroyed by "red legs", vigilantes working with the Union to fight the Confederacy. Josey Wales was a farmer and neutral in the war, yet his family slaughtered and home burned. He fought the Union then for some time before the Confederate soldiers with him all surrendered. Refusing to do the same, he was considered an outlaw by the U.S. Government. The movie portrays the injustices carried out against this man, women, Natives and other people at the hands of the U.S. Government, which is so often thought to have an element of moral superiority in its authority.
Branching out heavily from this old western narrative, I explored modern examples of moral deficiency in the government. The untreated outside of the box is similar in construction to a quickly and cheaply constructed coffin from the time period of the movie. The inside, however, provides a patriotic setting to the objects I selected.
The Bible I included is symbolic of manifest destiny, which is important to the movie time period but also prevalent today in our Christian-majority nation. With our political and economic influence, international military bases installed after WW2, and a domestic sense of xenophobia and nationalism- manifest destiny is a philosophy alive today.
The handcuffs and railroad tracks are both related to socioeconomic inequality that has historically and currently made unofficial segregation a reality. Lower income neighborhoods with poorer schools produce adults with poorer educations and poorer employment opportunities. It is a complex cycle of poverty and self-destruction that is influenced by pop culture and the mainstream media, glamorizing wealth and over-spending, shallow values, instant gratification through cheap fast food, cigarettes, malt liquor and scratch offs. It pits communities against themselves. In this economic and moral struggle of life, some supplement their income through illegal trades. While this is certainly true, it is also equally evident that police brutality and racial profiling are major issues. The tracks specifically represent the industrial dividing line that divides so many cities and towns to this day. Even in modern times, some towns in this country are found to be "sundown towns". The handcuffs are a representation of the propensity police display for arresting and brutalizing people of color or perceived lower income status. A local example that is very memorable is the case and acquittal of Brenton Butler.
The Challenger newspaper included is something I was handed in D.C. this past summer when there was an attempt at a white supremacist rally. Thousands came out in counter-protest and while demonstrating our total rejection of out of towner Klan humanoids shutting down our streets for their racist parade, there was also a nice opportunity for a lot of connections and cultural exchange. While I'm not sure I identify as a socialist or communist, I do vehemently support worker's rights and unions in most industries. The articles in this paper detail the solidarity of certain marginalized groups in their demand for fair treatment and pay- something that is scoffed at with disgust by many in our country today.
Finally, the "burner phone"- a disposable mobile phone that can be purchased and set up anonymously, in this case a Tracphone- ties together the themes of the newspaper and handcuffs with an increased degree of supposedly conspiratorial theory. Using a phone that is not attached to your name by a payment plan and credit card makes it more difficult for a prosecutor or investigator to prove that you own it and further sent various text messages. It also makes you more difficult to track by GPS location and even simply for targeted advertising. People who are involved in Antifa, Black Lives Matter, Animal Liberation Front, Environmental Anarchists or other groups that the government might want to keep an eye on are more likely to find they have need for this kind of phone. Likewise, individuals who import, distribute or manufacture scheduled drugs frequently utilize these to protect themselves from the watchful eyes of the DEA, gang task forces, ATF, and so on. While what they are doing is often indeed illegal, the connection to this project is the unenviable situation some people or groups are in because of oppressive systems maintained by the same government they are concealing themselves from. In addition, I removed the battery and SIM card from the device to demonstrate a level of warranted paranoid protective measures.
Title: Fasle Sense of Decadence
Materials: Wood repurposed from pallet, spray paint, acrylic paint, glue, card stock paper
Dimensions: 1 ft x 3.5 ft x 6 in
The film that inspired this project was The Outlaw Josey Wales- the tale of a man whose life and family was destroyed by "red legs", vigilantes working with the Union to fight the Confederacy. Josey Wales was a farmer and neutral in the war, yet his family slaughtered and home burned. He fought the Union then for some time before the Confederate soldiers with him all surrendered. Refusing to do the same, he was considered an outlaw by the U.S. Government. The movie portrays the injustices carried out against this man, women, Natives and other people at the hands of the U.S. Government, which is so often thought to have an element of moral superiority in its authority.
Branching out heavily from this old western narrative, I explored modern examples of moral deficiency in the government. The untreated outside of the box is similar in construction to a quickly and cheaply constructed coffin from the time period of the movie. The inside, however, provides a patriotic setting to the objects I selected.
The Bible I included is symbolic of manifest destiny, which is important to the movie time period but also prevalent today in our Christian-majority nation. With our political and economic influence, international military bases installed after WW2, and a domestic sense of xenophobia and nationalism- manifest destiny is a philosophy alive today.
The handcuffs and railroad tracks are both related to socioeconomic inequality that has historically and currently made unofficial segregation a reality. Lower income neighborhoods with poorer schools produce adults with poorer educations and poorer employment opportunities. It is a complex cycle of poverty and self-destruction that is influenced by pop culture and the mainstream media, glamorizing wealth and over-spending, shallow values, instant gratification through cheap fast food, cigarettes, malt liquor and scratch offs. It pits communities against themselves. In this economic and moral struggle of life, some supplement their income through illegal trades. While this is certainly true, it is also equally evident that police brutality and racial profiling are major issues. The tracks specifically represent the industrial dividing line that divides so many cities and towns to this day. Even in modern times, some towns in this country are found to be "sundown towns". The handcuffs are a representation of the propensity police display for arresting and brutalizing people of color or perceived lower income status. A local example that is very memorable is the case and acquittal of Brenton Butler.
The Challenger newspaper included is something I was handed in D.C. this past summer when there was an attempt at a white supremacist rally. Thousands came out in counter-protest and while demonstrating our total rejection of out of towner Klan humanoids shutting down our streets for their racist parade, there was also a nice opportunity for a lot of connections and cultural exchange. While I'm not sure I identify as a socialist or communist, I do vehemently support worker's rights and unions in most industries. The articles in this paper detail the solidarity of certain marginalized groups in their demand for fair treatment and pay- something that is scoffed at with disgust by many in our country today.
Finally, the "burner phone"- a disposable mobile phone that can be purchased and set up anonymously, in this case a Tracphone- ties together the themes of the newspaper and handcuffs with an increased degree of supposedly conspiratorial theory. Using a phone that is not attached to your name by a payment plan and credit card makes it more difficult for a prosecutor or investigator to prove that you own it and further sent various text messages. It also makes you more difficult to track by GPS location and even simply for targeted advertising. People who are involved in Antifa, Black Lives Matter, Animal Liberation Front, Environmental Anarchists or other groups that the government might want to keep an eye on are more likely to find they have need for this kind of phone. Likewise, individuals who import, distribute or manufacture scheduled drugs frequently utilize these to protect themselves from the watchful eyes of the DEA, gang task forces, ATF, and so on. While what they are doing is often indeed illegal, the connection to this project is the unenviable situation some people or groups are in because of oppressive systems maintained by the same government they are concealing themselves from. In addition, I removed the battery and SIM card from the device to demonstrate a level of warranted paranoid protective measures.
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