grisly gris
(soapbox derby)
"Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever?"
^---A confluence of recent events brought the famous ferris wheel scene from The Third Man into the projection booth of the overtaxed sloth-bean. Yesterday, as the Popemobile headed north, a certain slothy could be found at Metropolitan Cathedral of Art, revisiting the (phenomenal) Poussin show. I figured I would also check out the current retrospective of Jasper Johns' chromatically-challenged works.
In I go. The first room features two AbEx-y paintings, and some intro wall text about the show. Below the text is a very prominent sponsor logo. This is what it looks like:
So I whipped out the iSlothPhone and did a Google search for "United Technologies" (yes, I have probably been overexposed to Hans Haacke). SlothPhone sez UTC is a big conglomerate that owns Sikorsky Aircraft, Pratt & Whitney, Otis Elevators, and other major manufacturers. And, according to Wikipedia:
So, while I'm wandering through the rest of the show, trying to re-focus on the artistic merits of JJ's Grays, my gadget beeps and I have received a "sign-the-petition" email about a real creep who allegedly starved a dog to death in a gallery in Nicaragua. You have probably seen the images of the opening by now, which show an obviously starved and pathetically ill dog tied in a corner by a short rope while gallery-goers mill about. Horrible!
About 99% of chain emails are hoaxes, but this one does check out... mostly. A Snopes search gives a more nuanced (but still pretty appalling) version of the story. Now I want to make clear that I do not, nor would I ever, condone or support the gratuitious torture or neglect of an animal. But the facts in this case are not entirely clear yet, and until they are I will refrain from reinforcing the questionable information that's circulating around the issue.
The accusation is as follows: a dog was captured from the streets, tied up, tortured, and starved to death as part of an "art installation," provoking (very appropriate) outrage -- and, even worse, the heinous act will be once again repeated at the Honduran Biennial. This has elicited a call for a boycott (I didn't even realize there was a biennial in Honduras).
xo, sloth
So I whipped out the iSlothPhone and did a Google search for "United Technologies" (yes, I have probably been overexposed to Hans Haacke). SlothPhone sez UTC is a big conglomerate that owns Sikorsky Aircraft, Pratt & Whitney, Otis Elevators, and other major manufacturers. And, according to Wikipedia:
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have identified UTC as the 43rd-largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States, with roughly 430,000 pounds of toxic chemicals released annually into the air.[9] Major pollutants indicated by the study include manganese, chromium, nickel, and related compounds. [10] The Environmental Protection Agency has named UTC as a potentially responsible party for at least 23 Superfund toxic waste sites.[11]^---this was still onscreen as I contemplated another Johns piece:
Flag, 1969
Sheet lead relief
Edition: 60
Is it just me, or does the American flag rendered in lead kinda resonate with the toxic dumpings of American conglomerate UTC? And is it too much of a stretch to see a gray particulate haze in those monochromes?
The next paragraph in the Wikipedia entry was suspiciously boosterish:
Well, maybe they are cleaning up their act, but they still apparently have a lot to account for. Just last year:
UTC has made a major commitment to environmental health and safety for over 15 years. They are currently embarked on a four-year program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12 percent, water consumption by 10 percent and non-recyclable waste by 30 percent globally. UTC was a founding member of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC) and has been an EPA Climate Leader since 2003. In 2006, they joined the Chicago Climate Exchange as a Phase 1 and Phase 2 member.[12]Am I cynical to suspect that this might have been contributed by ol' UTC itself? um, okay, hooray for EPA Climate-Leader UTC! Keep up the good work!
Well, maybe they are cleaning up their act, but they still apparently have a lot to account for. Just last year:
Hamilton Sundstrand pleaded guilty to two felony violations of the federal Clean Water Act and to pay $12 million in penalties for dumping contaminated wastewater into the Farmington River in Connecticut.(Hamilton Sundstrand is a UTC company.) This is all just the tip of the iceberg; here are some of the other great contributions of UTC and its subsidiaries:
- UTC is a large military contractor, producing missile systems and military helicopters, most notably the Black Hawk Helicopter. In 2005, it received over 5 billion dollars in military contracts.
- Via its subsidiary Pratt & Whitney, produced engines used in Chinese Z-10 attack helicopters that were being sent to Sudan and could be used in attacks against civilians.
- In recent years, UTC has contributed heavily to the Republican party (and has put in a bid on acquiring Diebold... hmm...)
- Its companies employ many union-busting strategies, including employee lock-outs, layoffs, and "restructuring;" moved 2/3 of its workforce outside of the U.S.
- According to Crocodyl, a corporate watch-dog group, United Technologies is "seeking permission to sell electronic surveillance equipment to the Chinese government."
g g g
So, while I'm wandering through the rest of the show, trying to re-focus on the artistic merits of JJ's Grays, my gadget beeps and I have received a "sign-the-petition" email about a real creep who allegedly starved a dog to death in a gallery in Nicaragua. You have probably seen the images of the opening by now, which show an obviously starved and pathetically ill dog tied in a corner by a short rope while gallery-goers mill about. Horrible!
About 99% of chain emails are hoaxes, but this one does check out... mostly. A Snopes search gives a more nuanced (but still pretty appalling) version of the story. Now I want to make clear that I do not, nor would I ever, condone or support the gratuitious torture or neglect of an animal. But the facts in this case are not entirely clear yet, and until they are I will refrain from reinforcing the questionable information that's circulating around the issue.
The accusation is as follows: a dog was captured from the streets, tied up, tortured, and starved to death as part of an "art installation," provoking (very appropriate) outrage -- and, even worse, the heinous act will be once again repeated at the Honduran Biennial. This has elicited a call for a boycott (I didn't even realize there was a biennial in Honduras).
In their own defense, the gallery claims that the dog was "only" confined for the 3-hour duration of the opening (still a shitty thing to do), was well-fed before and after, and then escaped through the gallery door. Now, neither one of these stories has any evidence to back it up, from what I can glean.
No documentation of the dog's fate either way was ever produced, and there is no indication anywhere that the "artist" will be repeating this particular "piece" at the Biennial -- only that he will be participating. I don't want to minimize his cruel actions, but I get cautious when it seems like my sentiments are being manipulated. That said, at the very least this guy is a callous dick. At worst, he's an unforgivable sadist.
The two events coincidentally happening together made me wonder...
The two events coincidentally happening together made me wonder...
1. The purported "point" of this "piece" is that the public cares more about a starving dog when it's in a gallery than if it was on the street. If the plight of homeless dogs in Honduras (and elsewhere) becomes a cause célèbre, and is therefore lessened by this creep's "installation," does that make his "piece" successful? (He says he did it to raise awareness. If awareness is raised, have the terrorists won?)
2. Why do people become passionate about cruelty to one individual -- but not about daily suffering, starvation, disease, and violence that goes largely unphotographed? Is a victim more of a victim when another individual can be pointed to, rather than a government, a militia, or a corporation?
3. What about the countless fish, birds, humans, etc. that are sickened and killed by polluters like United Technologies? How is their situation different from the starving dog's? The dog has become a symbol and a very effective agit-prop device. Gray haze doesn't generate hype. If I tie a fish to a gallery wall will people finally start holding big polluters more accountable?
4. Do the humans in Sudan who have been shot dead by UTC-powered attack helicopters matter? How can the same kind of outrage be brought to bear? What about those who are suffering from starvation, disease, and violence (including rape on a massive scale) like so many in Sudan - dying like the Honduran street dogs? What can we do about it? Who do we boycott? Is the Met tacitly supporting UTC's actions by accepting its lucre? How about éminence grise Jasper Johns?
5. Has the world forgiven Tom Otterness for shooting a dog on video yet? Will it ever? & will it ever forgive him for those stupid public sculptures??
Okay, enough said. See you in the suds!
3. What about the countless fish, birds, humans, etc. that are sickened and killed by polluters like United Technologies? How is their situation different from the starving dog's? The dog has become a symbol and a very effective agit-prop device. Gray haze doesn't generate hype. If I tie a fish to a gallery wall will people finally start holding big polluters more accountable?
4. Do the humans in Sudan who have been shot dead by UTC-powered attack helicopters matter? How can the same kind of outrage be brought to bear? What about those who are suffering from starvation, disease, and violence (including rape on a massive scale) like so many in Sudan - dying like the Honduran street dogs? What can we do about it? Who do we boycott? Is the Met tacitly supporting UTC's actions by accepting its lucre? How about éminence grise Jasper Johns?
5. Has the world forgiven Tom Otterness for shooting a dog on video yet? Will it ever? & will it ever forgive him for those stupid public sculptures??
Okay, enough said. See you in the suds!
xo, sloth
posted by sloth @ 1:00 AM
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