The Situationists played a influential role in the May 1968 uprisings in France. As a small collective of artists and thinkers, their ideas about excesses in society and political power dynamics spread like wildfire, causing occupations and strikes that effectively shut down the entire country for two weeks. Although they officially disbanded in 1972 their influence can be seen in movements as diverse as British Punk and Occupy Wall Street.
The huge idea here is that Art can be everywhere, always, making every life experience a heightened, enriching, nurturing event. That everyone can participate in and comprehend. That can enlighten us and save our planet from destruction by humankind.
Vintage transparency from the Ron Slattery Collection, April 22, 1955, Central Park. Ektachrome 120 fillm, 12 ASA
, E-2 processed
Pamela Bannos, a photographer who teaches at Northwestern University, is quoted in a Daily Beast post and is increasingly recognized as a scholar with a deeper understanding of Vivian Maier's enigmatic photographic legacy. Vivian Maier has been trivialized as "Mary Poppins with a camera." Bannos argues that it is men who are controlling Maier's work and legacy and hence how the public understands of Maier's life and body of work. The recently released documentary, Finding Vivian Maier,is adding more fuel to the fire. For example, Rose Lichter-Mark's tuned-in analysis of the film, "Vivian Maier and the Problem of Difficult Women" in the New Yorker, further unpacks the emerging gender issues. Bannos presented a complex lecture "Vivian Maier's Fractured Archive" at Lawrence University on Thursday, May 1, 2014m in the Wriston Auditorium. She examined Maier's cameras, locations, methods, and choices as evidenced in the archive Maier left behind.
We mostly know Gilbert and George from their large scale photo pieces, often annoyingly unattractive and covering large parcels of gallery real estate. There's more to these boys however, and their concept of 'living sculpture' took Joseph Beuys 'social sculpture' idea into new territory, making themselves diplomats for gay (they prefer queer) identity and reinventing the notion of the artist as prophet/seer/catalyst for social change. We'll forget about the inspiration annoying street performers took from them...
