America as seen on the front seat

[faberryman]

I see thematic consistency in the photos.

Yes, all the photos are of messy car interiors. The photographer stayed on task. Faint praise.

 

[MattKing]

I see thematic consistency in the photos.

Yes, all the photos are of messy car interiors. The photographer stayed on task. Faint praise.

It is entirely okay with me that lots of people won't like them .

My reference to thematic consistency is simply an observation about whether the photos make sense as part of a project, as compared to a collection of photographs that have been grouped together after the fact for the purpose of a "show".

If the photographer had taken pictures of some other common element shared by veterans - something like the condition of the front doors of where they lived or their shoes - there may have been similar elements as well.

 

[jtk]

Clear and concise - this is the essence of what the reviewer tried to say.
Thanks.

The reviewer failed to be "clear and concise." He doesn't deserve help. Don't let him graduate. .

Why does anybody believe these photos have anything to do with vets? Do they pity vets? Do they hate vets? Do they even know any vets? Pathetic.

 

[nimajneb]

Kind of reminds of this Negativland album I heard about on This American Life.

"Compiled by band member Richard Lyons, the book comprises photos of smashed-up cars in a junkyard; next to each crumpled car is reprinted the text of a note or letter or list found in the car."

 

[removed account4]

The reviewer failed to be "clear and concise." He doesn't deserve help. Don't let him graduate. .

Why does anybody believe these photos have anything to do with vets? Do they pity vets? Do they hate vets? Do they even know any vets? Pathetic.

why do you insist the author and the photographer are students ?
http://www.americansuburbx.com/2017/01/goodbye-america-interview-with-brad-feuerhelm.html

maybe the photographs have to do with vets, because they are interiors of cars that are owned by vets ?
from the photographer's website:
American Interiors
American Interiors depicts the psychological repercussions of war and military service through images of the interiors of cars owned by veterans in the USA.

no one in this thread, nor the author ( reviewer ) or photographer has said anything negative about vetrans..
i certainly don't, im related to handfuls of them, and none had cars as messy as the ones in the photographs.

"Jumping to conclusions" apparently means feeling free to comment on the ridiculous, overblown writing and to express doubt about the legitimacy of the work.

yes jumping to conclusions is when someone makes assumptions about someone or something
without any knowledge of the background or intent of the person or his/her project.

i'll take the reviewer and photographer's words over what others migh thave to say any day of the week.
its too bad the author and photographer don't come here and join in the thread,

 

[jtk]

i'll take the reviewer and photographer's words over what others migh thave to say any day of the week.
its too bad the author and photographer don't come here and join in the thread,[/QUOTE]

To each his own.

Me, I'm more confident in my own responses to photos and my own expertise with language more than am in "what others say."

That array of photos, combined with the gawdawful "critical writing", clearly try to invent content.

Since jnanian believes the photographer intended the claimed concept, he will surely ask him to post his rebuttal here.

 

[jtk]

Kind of reminds of this Negativland album I heard about on This American Life.

"Compiled by band member Richard Lyons, the book comprises photos of smashed-up cars in a junkyard; next to each crumpled car is reprinted the text of a note or letter or list found in the car."

Some Richard Lyons wiki follows...LOL

"in 1988, Richard Lyons masterminded a hoaxed press release that claimed the Negativland song "Christianity Is Stupid" had inspired 16-year-old David Brom to murder his entire immediate family. It also claimed that Negativland had been "advised by Federal official Dick Jordan not to leave town pending an investigation into the Brom murders". Lyons came up with the idea for the press release when Negativland could not afford to go on tour in support of Escape From Noise. Lyons prepared the phony press release and mailed it out to various news outlets, many of whom took it at face value. The hoax received widespread media coverage, inspiring Negativland's next album Helter Stupid.[2][3]

After taking a brief hiatus from the group, Lyons composed and sang several songs on Negativland's 1997 album Dispepsi, including "Happy Hero" and "The Greatest Taste Around". He also created an art piece using letters found in junkyard cars. He compiled and arranged the found letters with photographs of the wrecked cars to create a Xeroxed book that he distributed to friends. Lyons recorded a segment about his book for an episode of This American Life entitled "Other People's Mail".[4] In 2002 the book was released by Negativland with an accompanying soundtrack CD as Deathsentences of the Polished and Structurally Weak.[5]

Lyons traveled with the band during its "True or False" tour, doing a mid-show version of "Pastor Dick's Treehouse".[6]

 

[Theo Sulphate]

American Interiors
American Interiors depicts the psychological repercussions of war and military service through images of the interiors of cars owned by veterans in the USA.
...

But it doesn't do that and cannot do that. There's no doubt that war and combat messes people's minds up, but the photographer is pretending to be an amateur psychologist and drawing parallels and conclusions that are not valid. He is imposing his own judgements and conclusions in his written statement.

Those cars were likely owned by older white men - it would've been equally invalid to conclude these interiors express the psychological ramifications of being an older white male.


It would've been better to let the photos stand on their own, which is how I initially viewed them.

 

[removed account4]

To each his own.

Since jnanian believes the photographer intended the claimed concept, he will surely ask him to post his rebuttal here.

uh huh, to each their own...
im happy for you that you can belittle the author and the photographer knowing they will never come here and
defend what they wrote or photographed.
yes, it would be nice if they/he did came here and defend the work .. i've no problem looking at them at face value.

But it doesn't do that and cannot do that. There's no doubt that war and combat messes people's minds up, but the photographer is pretending to be an amateur psychologist and drawing parallels and conclusions that are not valid. He is imposing his own judgements and conclusions in his written statement.

Those cars were likely owned by older white men - it would've been equally invalid to conclude these interiors express the psychological ramifications of being an older white male.
It would've been better to let the photos stand on their own, which is how I initially viewed them.

maybe? there are plenty of older ( and younger ) white .. and older black (wo)men, and olive skinned men &c who have been ruined by PTSD.

Kind of reminds of this Negativland album I heard about on This American Life.

"Compiled by band member Richard Lyons, the book comprises photos of smashed-up cars in a junkyard; next to each crumpled car is reprinted the text of a note or letter or list found in the car."

i remember when that album came out. dj's played it back to back with REVCO..

 

[faberryman]

there are plenty of older ( and younger ) white .. and older black (wo)men, and olive skinned men &c who have been ruined by PTSD.

So now messy car interiors arise from PTSD? If only life were so simple.

 

[removed account4]

So now messy car interiors arise from PTSD? If only life were so simple.

that was my inference not the photographer's although he says psychological repercussions of war and military service in his statement.
and yes .. people from ever color and creed suffer from ptsd..

 

[Theo Sulphate]

...
maybe? there are plenty of older ( and younger ) white .. and older black (wo)men, and olive skinned men &c who have been ruined by PTSD....

I agree with you. What I was hoping to demonstrate is that my conclusion, that old white males have messy car interiors, would be just as invalid as saying war vets have messy car interiors.

I liked some of the photos and I'm really not trying to piss on the guy's work -- I just think cause and effect are being overstated.

 

[jtk]

I agree with you. What I was hoping to demonstrate is that my conclusion, that old white males have messy car interiors, would be just as invalid as saying war vets have messy car interiors.

I liked some of the photos and I'm really not trying to piss on the guy's work -- I just think cause and effect are being overstated.

I didn't "like" the photos because they're too inconsequential in themselves and I think that as a collection they pretend to have significance.

Yes, somehow they're properly focused and exposed. Thanks, presumably, to a digital device.

I mainly mean to "piss on" the "work" of the disgracefully bad essay-writer and the alleged meaning of what we see.

It's shameful to drag this discussion into pious claims about the psychology of war vets.

Those pious claims boil down to ignorant disrespect of vets. Just like the notion that Vietnam vets were somehow nutcase killers and the silly popular fantasy that WWII vets didn't talk about their experience..

 

[removed account4]

It's shameful to drag this discussion into pious claims about the psychology of war vets.

psychological repercussions of war and military service is in the artist statement no one in this thread is saying anything shameful disrespectful &c about vets.

 

[MattKing]

For those who consider the photos dis-respectful, I'd suggest a visit to the photographer's website. Included there amongst the disturbingly chaotic front seats are examples of front seats that are as neat and clean and rigidly pristine as could ever be possible.

 

[removed account4]

matt

i suggested on page 2 to go to the photographer's website
even had a link to it ...

 

[BradS]

There are a couple of people here who, if they have nothing negative to say, say nothing at all. Just ignore them and hope that some day they outgrow their shitty attitudes...and maybe, even contribute something useful.

 

[Arthurwg]

Seriously? Does anyone think this is good work?

You are correct. Absolute crap.

 

[jtk]

For those who consider the photos dis-respectful, I'd suggest a visit to the photographer's website. Included there amongst the disturbingly chaotic front seats are examples of front seats that are as neat and clean and rigidly pristine as could ever be possible.

I don't think the photos are disrespectful (they're just vacuous), but the theories about returning vets are ignorant and disrespectful.

 

[removed account4]

there have been no theories .. just statements that sometimes vets have PTSD. and as seen though the photos that some have "messy" cars ...

 

[removed account4]

I don't think the photos are disrespectful (they're just vacuous),

you made it a point earlier that people were being disrespectful ( and the project was ) about veterans .. and
no other photography is vacuous ? most ever photograph if it doesn't have to do
wtih a historical event is vacuous .. and indulgent of the photographer, but that is what photography is, indulgence.

It's shameful to drag this discussion into pious claims about the psychology of war vets.

there have been no theories .. just statements that sometimes vets have PTSD. and as seen though the photos that some have "messy" cars ...
( and if you went to the website, you would see /// some don't ) ,,

 

[Eric Rose]

DING, end of round 5. No clear winner so far, and the points are close. Stay tuned for round 6. Will there be a TKO?

 

[andy_shoots_]

or maybe ... it i s part of the reason the person with the camera made the photographs ... and in his statement ?

Based off the statement from Matthews website, I still say Brad (Articles Author) is jumping to conclusions and pulling to much from his own sentiment rather than what the work actually says. The statement given on the web page to purchase the book does give substantially more information but I don't think it was written by the photographer.

The book does have text by Jorg Colberg & Ken Macleish. Without having actually read the book I assume majority of Brads opinions are based on the written text. The photo book may rely heavily on written statements to push its points, but then it's not really a photo book. Perhaps it should be a book written by Jorg Colberg & Ken Macleish with supporting pictures by Matthew Casteel. The written statements seems to taint the work so heavily.

Take for example the two cleaner car interiors, the one with the Wellness Recovery Action Plan and the other with a Big Mac box and exposed pistol grip. This does not seem like the "Antithesis of the American Dream" or a "Dystopian American landscape." Does it hint at social issues? Sure. Does it condemn America? I don’t think so.

Honestly Brads article just rubs me the wrong way, I don’t like this so called “Dystopian American landscape” theme or the “Antithesis of the American Dream.” Personally i see this work and article suffering from the same symptom of the social dilemmas they seek to expose. They are "slickly produced" work that presents the Artist's opinions in a favorable disposition without giving the entire picture. I believe the photos alone circumvent this pitfall, but in combination with the text it seems to ruin any chances of alternative interpretations

 

[faberryman]

Some people with mental, behavioral, or personality disorders have messy car interiors. Some have clean car interiors. However, I doubt that your MFA thesis would be approved if you proposed 80 photographs of clean car interiors as examples of a "dystopian American landscape". The choice of photographs says a lot about the photographer, his point of view, and his motivations. It is just rubbernecking.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Post hoc ergo propter hoc. If I hung out at a Walmart parking lot and took pictures of messy car interiors what would you conclude?

The owners are messy.

.