"American Power" an 8x10 portfolio

jovo · Oct 10, 2009

Mitch Epstein's work, and the police issues he faced making this series is here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/arts/design/10epstein.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

JBrunner · Oct 10, 2009

Thanks John, excellent.

ic-racer · Oct 10, 2009

In Ohio, when you go in to renew your auto registration you are likely to see a big poster showing a person taking a picture of a power station and large letters requesting good citizens to REPORT SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR.

Dan Henderson · Oct 11, 2009

Our power generating and distribution system is an attractive target for terrorists. It is relatively easy to attack and could directly affect hundreds of thousands of individual people as well as our economy. Planning for potential terrorist attacks on the power system have allegedly been discovered, which included taking photographs of power plants and other parts of the system. So someone photographing the system should not be surprised if they attract the attention of authorities. However, if we can no longer go about our legal activities without being detained and questioned by the government, our country risks losing what makes it a better place than repressive governments in other countries. There has to be some sort of balance struck between security and freedom.

Kvistgaard · Oct 11, 2009

Dan Henderson said:
...if we can no longer go about our legal activities without being detained and questioned by the government, our country risks losing what makes it a better place than repressive governments in other countries. There has to be some sort of balance struck between security and freedom.

- guess we're already rather far down that route?

Jeff L · Oct 11, 2009

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
Benjamin Franklin

Tom Stanworth · Oct 13, 2009

The key with something like this is to get paperwork done beforehand (letter to state intent/request permission etc). A pig, yes, but a fact of life if you want to avoid anything more than a few questions once the paperwork is presented.

Things have gone far too far and usually the restrictions relate to things that are either easily circumnavigated by terrorists or due to a lack of understanding of the law on the part of the local authorities. I used to think that heavy handed repression (regardless of the law) in the name of liberty was largely American but the UK quickly followed the lead on that one. The problem is usually borne out of ignorance at the various levels of authority. Ignorance of the threat, ignorance of terrorist procedures, ignorance of real vulnerabilties, ignorance of the law...

Daniel Larsen · Oct 13, 2009

Tom Stanworth said:
The key with something like this is to get paperwork done beforehand (letter to state intent/request permission etc). A pig, yes, but a fact of life if you want to avoid anything more than a few questions once the paperwork is presented.

Things have gone far too far and usually the restrictions relate to things that are either easily circumnavigated by terrorists or due to a lack of understanding of the law on the part of the local authorities. I used to think that heavy handed repression (regardless of the law) in the name of liberty was largely American but the UK quickly followed the lead on that one. The problem is usually borne out of ignorance at the various levels of authority. Ignorance of the threat, ignorance of terrorist procedures, ignorance of real vulnerabilties, ignorance of the law...

I concur with the recommendation to try to get approval/paperwork ahead of time.

Please give some examples of what you think is "heavy handed [American] repression (regardless of the law) in the name of liberty."

Thanks. Dan

markbarendt · Oct 13, 2009

Daniel,

I'll give this a shot.

I remember growing up in the '60s and Americans of all stripes putting average Russians down for spying on each other and turning each other in. Back then, that was viewed as a total affront to freedom and the American way.

Today; bankers, insurance agents, teachers, doctors, etcetera; are required by law to turn in their neighbors, students, and clients, when they suspect something goofy is going on.

These professionals are now an extension of our law enforcement agencies and doing exactly what we laughed at the Russians for in the '60s. These professionals are not screened, we have no clue about their motivations in life.

Today America criticizes China for quashing political dissent and we turn around quash political demonstrations at political conventions and city parks and anywhere else they threaten the powers that write the permits.

We are at a point in history where an innocuous speech by the President to encourage students at school becomes a threat that certain school administrators feel they need to censor.

The Boston Tea Party was a terrorist act, one of many Americans perpetrated.

Freedom is a messy business, and risk to life, limb, and treasure, is inherent.

Daniel Larsen said:
I concur with the recommendation to try to get approval/paperwork ahead of time.

Please give some examples of what you think is "heavy handed [American] repression (regardless of the law) in the name of liberty."

Thanks. Dan

c6h6o3 · Oct 13, 2009

The real threat to our SCADA systems is cyberattack, and you don't need visual reconnaissance for that. At least the people responsible for our critical infrastructure are beginning to realize the ever growing risk and are beginning to take steps to mitigate it.

I'm far less concerned with the abridgment of my God given right to photograph a water treatment plant as I am the obliviousness to the real threat. While some security guard is worried about my camera the Chinese can be planting malicious zero day code in the control system.

2F/2F · Oct 13, 2009

Jeff L said:
Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
Benjamin Franklin

Amen.

jovo · Oct 13, 2009

It's remarkable how we all seem to think we are the center of the universe. The 9/11 attacks weren't launched from Assgas Community Airport against a series of grain elevators. If you're going to blow yourself up, you'd be an even bigger idiot than you were in the first place to not make the object of your lunacy the biggest, most attention getting target you could find...which just isn't gonna be a grain elevator or a WalMart in East Bumfuck.

If I were making such a series, I'd be damn sure I sat down with whomever the biggest muckymuck in town was, explain my project, and all but request two cop cars to guarantee my safety. And I'd promise the town at least one of the best damn prints I could make of the best damn image in the series.

Remember what George Carlin so correctly said, and I'm paraphrasing since I can't quote him precisely: "We have no "rights"...none. We have privileges, and fewer and fewer of those all the time."

Joe Lipka · Oct 14, 2009

Poca, West Virginia is on the banks of the Kanawha River, near Charleston West Virginia. I used to live right up the road from Poca High School. At that time, their school team name was the "Dots."

"American Power" an 8x10 portfolio

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