#od the Iron Vanguard

[crynwr-drwg]

Message from the EZLN regarding recent gossip and rumours. Full text below:

P.S. THAT WARNS. – We were already going to tell you what this whole thing is about, but reading, seeing and listening to the string of atrocities that the «specialists» in everything and knowledgeable in nothing say and write (about supposed withdrawals, dismantlements, advances of organized crime and «returns to the past” – Coletos had to be the majority -), we decided rather to let them continue burping.

With their deep analysis and well-founded research, the zapatologists state: “an example of the Zapatista defeat is the loss of indigenous identity: young indigenous people already wear cowboy boots, instead of walking barefoot or in huaraches. And they get ready to flirt, new pants and shirt – or ironed! -, instead of wearing blanket pants and buying their wives according to indigenous uses and customs. And they ride motorcycles, instead of carrying their women coletas bosses on their backs. The only thing left is for young indigenous women to wear pants or, what a horror!, play soccer and drive vehicles, instead of serving the coleta ladies. They even dare to dance cumbias and ska instead of Bolonchon, and sing rap and hiphop instead of psalms and odes to the landowners. And, as another sign of the loss of their indigenous identity, they even pretend the absurdity of being subcommanders, commanders, and women commanders! And pretend to govern themselves. And they don’t ask permission to be however they want to be. And they travel and get to know other lands. And they work and earn their pay without a ‘tienda de raya’. And they do not have them in concentration camps, like in Gaza, so that they do not pick up “Sinaloa” ideas, that is, foreign ones – because the mayo-yoreme in Sinaloa, are all about narcocorridos, my man –. Because of Zapatismo, we anthropologists will no longer have any jobs. What a shame. And all because they did not follow the revolutionary vanguard of the proletariat or MORENA, same thing. A serious mistake of Zapatismo not to obey us. Because today, the indigenous people no longer look down when you bump into them. They look at you with irreverence, with defiance, with rage, as if we were the intruders and not them, as if we were the criminals and not them. Before, only the Zapatistas did that, now any ‘Chamulita’ stands up to you. And, as Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism-Maoism-Trotskyism-all-isms say, any indigenous person who is not like the anthropology manual says is a narco.”

We know for sure that, later, when the full meaning of this stage is known, they will have the minimum of honesty to say and publish: “We do not have the slightest idea of what they did, what they do or what they will do. The best thing would have been to ask the Zapatistas and not the anti-Zapatistas.” Or are they not honest?

Tell those “journalists” that it is always better, although more uncomfortable and not profitable, to interview the actors, not the spectators, ‘villa melones’ and lazy paramilitaries. Investigative journalism is a professional job that often requires risks and discomfort. But, don’t worry, we understand that everyone looks for a living the best way they can.

So, as a greeting to the “zapatologists”, we continue with these P.S. made with love:

P.S. OF THE CAPTAINTY OF PUERTO DE MONTAÑA. – We had prepared a series of clever phrases to make fun of the political class as a whole (government and opposition), but now we think that there is no point, since each flock has its shepherd or each shepherd has its flock. Or does someone naively believe that the matter is between two shepherdesses?

Our silence in these years was not, nor is, a sign of respect or endorsement of anything, but rather that we strive to see further and seek what everyone, men, women and ‘otroas’, is looking for: a way out of the nightmare. While you learn, from subsequent writings, what we have been doing, perhaps you will understand that our attention has been elsewhere.

But we understand that more than one suffers from what we Zapatistas call a “theoretical torticollis” which is caused by looking up, too much, and affects good judgment, common sense, decency and honesty – in addition to being addictive and creating chronic dependency. We understand the limitations of your horizons of analysis. One thing is the desk, the academy, the journalistic column, the commissioned report, the government position, the revolutionary coffee gossip or social networks, and another thing is reality.

The latter not only does not pay, but it also charges very expensively. Shakira has already said it: ‘la realidad factura’ (reality costs), and it does not include VAT. Sorry.

We will not make firewood out of the fallen trees up there. Reality, that implacable fool, will do its thing and the last splinters will be those that organized crime takes from the “cobro de piso” in the proposals of each of them.

Some masturbate with the ‘mañanera’ (morning presidential conference). Others with destruction, deaths, murders, rapes, disappearances, hunger, war, diseases, pain and sorrow. None of them have a viable and serious political proposal, they just entertain… until they don’t anymore.

And, since we are talking about autoeroticism: given the choice between Bertha and Claudia, well, Wendy.

-*-

Okay, cheers and now what am I going to do with my costume to dance corridos tumbados? “Compa, que le parece esa gorra?”… What? That’s not the way it goes? Don’t I tell you? It is the loss of indigenous identity. I hope anthropologists arrive soon to save us.

From the mountains of the mexican southeast.

The Captain

(Looking very handsome with his cowboy hat, not for bragging. Ajúa my people!)

Mexico 40, 30, 20, 10 years after

P.S. «CONTEXTUAL». – Televisa being Televisa and anthropologists being anthropologists:

https://www.nmas.com.mx/noticieros/programas/en-punto/videos/ezln-cierra-caracoles-avance-crimen-organizado/

#EZLN #zapatistas #Zapatista Army of National Liberation #Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional #anarchism #anarchblr #chiapas #anti imperialism #anti capitalism #agrarian socialism #libertarian socialism #socialism

[bluseum]

also why is everyone in the skellington book called [place name] [latin word] [adjective]

Derek very evidently names characters like any good lazy D&D player, random name generators and dictionaries. He doesn't seem to see a problem with

Abyssinia

Adam Brate

Adedayo Akinde

Adrasdos

Adrian Sykes

Adrienna Shade

Ajuoga

Alan

Alan (Boyle Solutions)

Alan Brennan

Alena Metz

Alesha Walsh

Alexander Remit

Alexander Slake

Alice Edgley

Aloysius Vespers

Amalia

Amity

Amity's Wife

Anathem Mire

The Ancients

Anguish

Anna

Annie Brennan

Anton Shudder

Arabella Wicked

Argeddion

Argento

Argus

Armiger Fop

Arthur Dagan

Ashione

Ashley Hubbard

Aspen

Assegai

Category:Assistants

Audoen

Auger Darkly

Aurnia

Auron Tenebrae

Aurora Jane

Category:Australians

Avatar

Avaunt

Axelia Lukt

Axle

Azzedine Smoke

Badstreet

Bagatelle

Baritone

Baron Vengeous

Bartholomew

Basher

Batu

The Beast

Bennet Troth

Benzel Travestine

Bernadette Maguire

Bernard Sult

Bertrand Solus

Beryl Edgley

Billy-Ray Sanguine

Binder Firm

Bison Dragonclaw

Black Annis

Boiler

Brennock

Brides of Blood Tears

Bridget

Brobding

Brock

Bruno

Bubba Moon

Burgundy Dalrymple

The Butcher

Byron Grace

Cadaver Cain

Cadaverous Gant

Caelan

Caisson

Caius Caviler

Cameron Light

Cark

Carol Edgley

Carol Edgley (Reflection)

Cassandra Pharos

Caste

Cathy

Cathy (The Button)

Category:Cats

Cerise

Ceryen

Cerys

Charivari

Charlie Smith

Child of the Faceless

China Sorrows

China's Assistant

China's Grandmother

Chrissy Brennan

Christophe Nocturnal

Civet

Clagge

Clarabelle

Cleaver

Clement Gale

Clerihew Montgomery

Coda Quell

Colleen Stint

Collup

Colm Muldoon

Conor Delaney

Corrival Deuce

Cothernus Ode

Crab

Craddock Sirroco

Crasher

Crepuscular Vies

Creyfon Signate

Crystal Edgley

Cu na Gealaí Duibhe

Dacanay

Daffyd Maybury

Dai Maybury

Daisy

Damocles Creed

Danny

Darian Vector

Darquesse

Dasher

Daveth Maybury

Davina Marr

Davit Maybury

Davon Maybury

Deacon Maybury

Death Monkey

Dedrich Wahrheit

Delafonte Mien

Desmond Edgley

Destrier

Detective Harris

Devoted

Dexter Vex

Dicer

Dima

Dionysus Pertinax

Doctor Whorl

Donegan Bane

Doran Purcell

Dragunov

Dreylan Scarab

Dubhóg Ni Broin

Duenna

The Dullahan

Dusk

Eachan Meritorious

Eamon Campbell

Eamon Pearce

Ed Stynes

Eddie Sullivan

Edgley Tempest

Edwina

Eliza Scorn

Elsie O'Brien

Elwood Satchel

Emmeline Darkly

Emmett Peregrine

Category:End of the World characters

Category:Energy-Throwers

The Engineer

Ephraim Tungsten

Erskine Ravel

Esryn Vanguard

Etta Faulkner

Evoric Cudgel

Faceless Ones

Father Reynolds

Fergus Edgley

Ferrente Rhadaman

Filament Sclavi

Finbar Wrong

Fintan Muldoon

Flaring

Fletcher Renn

Flint

Forby

Frightening Jones

Gall

Gary Price

Gavin Praetor

Ged

Category:Generals

Geoffrey Scrutinous

Gepard

Gepard Voke

Geraint Mizzle

Gerontius

Ghastly Bespoke

Ghastly Bespoke's father

Ghastly Bespoke's mother

Gladys

Glass

Gleeman Shakespeare

Gordon Edgley

Grace Kelly

Gracious O'Callahan

Graft

Gratio Erato

Gregory Castallan

Gregory Day

Greta Dapple

Griff

Grim

The Grotesquery

Gruesome Krav

Habergeon

Hansard Kray

Hapathy

Harmony

Hayley Skirmish

Hidalgo Bolt

Hieronymus Deadfall

Hoc

Hokum Pete

Hollow Men

Hopeless

Horts

The Hound

Hrishi

Hutchinson

Ian Moore

Ieni

Illori Reticent

Imogen

Infected

Isara

Isidora Splendour

Ivy

Jack Irons

Jackie Earl

Jajo Prave

James Hubbard

Jaron Gallow

Jason Randal

Jasper

Jenan Ispolin

Jeremiah Wallow

Jerry Houlihan

Jerry Ordain

Jethro

The Jitter Girls

Johann Starke

Joost

Kaiven

Kallista Pendragon

Kalvin Accord

Karrik

Kase

Kathryn Ether

Keir Tanner

Keith

Kenny Dunne

Kenspeckle Grouse

Keratin

Kes

Kierre of the Unveiled

Kiln

Kimora

Kitana Kellaway

Korb

Kribu

Krull

Kumo

Laken Cross

Lamour

Lapse

Larks

Larrikin

Lenka Bazaar

Levitt

Liam Muldoon

Lightning Dave

Lillian Agog

Lily

Lord Vile

Lorenzo Mult

Lorien

Luciana

Luke Skywalker

Madame Mist

Madcap Fenton

Magenta

Mahala

Maksy

Mandat

Mantis

Martin Flanery

Master

Maverick Reels

Melancholia St Clair

Melissa Edgley

Mellifluous Golding

Memphis

Mercy Charient

Merriwyn Hyphenate-Bash

Metric

Mevolent

Midnight Blue

Militsa Gnosis

Minion One and Minion Two

Mirk

Misery

Miss Nuncio

Moloch

Moribund

Mortal

Morven

Morwenna Crow

Mr Chou

Mr. Bliss

Mr. Fedgewick

Mr. Jib

Mud

Mulct

Murder Rose

Muriel Hubbard

Myosotis Terra

Myra

Myron Stray

Nathanial Quiver

Nefarian Serpine

Nero

Nestor Tarry

Never

Nixion

Nj Maverick

Noche

Noonan

Nye

Oberon Guile

Oblivious

Obloquy

Octa Gregorian Boona

October Klein

Odetta

Ogre

Oisin

Omen Darkly

Operative

Oscar Nightfall

Owen

Palaver Graves

Parthenios Lilt

Pat Hanratty

Patrick Slattery

Patrick Xebec

Paul Lynch

Paulie

Peg Muldoon

Pennant

Persephone Grief

Pete Green

Petrichor

Phil Lynott

Philomena Random

Ping

Portia

To name a few

#skulduggery pleasant #derek landy #derek's bullshit #ask response #mutual banter

[bran-ridire]

Talon King Jang'jin, exploring the Shadowlands.

#Talon King #Jangjin #deathlord #Veteran of the Fourth War #od the Iron Vanguard #the Argent Champion #Guardian of Cenarius #ambassador #artisan #farmer #alchemist #unholy death knight #darkspear troll #Lok-tar Ogar #shadowlands hype #world of Warcraft #blizzard entertainment #sword and sorcery #science fantasy #beyond the veil #the other side #the other world #Samhain

[jazzviewswithcjshearn]

Jazz Views With CJ Shearn: Best Of 2020

Jazz Views with CJ Shearn Best of 2020.  Not all titles were reviewed, but this list does reflect the scope of what I heard,  and my tastes.  Reviews will be returning January, 2021!  Thanks for supporting the blog.

From This Place-- Pat Metheny  (Metheny Group Productions/Nonesuch)

Thana Alexa: ONA (Self produced)

Avishai Cohen: Big Vicious (ECM)

Benjamin Koppel: Art Of the Quartet (Unit Records)

Benjamin Koppel: The Ultimate Jazz & Soul Review (Unit Records)

John Scofield/Bill Stewart/Steve Swallow: Swallow Tales (ECM)

Bill Frisell: Valentine (Blue Note)

Dave Stryker/ WDR Big Band: Blue Soul (Strikezone)

Christian McBride Big Band: For  Jimmy, Wes and Oliver (Brother Mister Productions/Mack Avenue

Keith Jarrett: Budapest Concert (ECM)

Chick Corea: Plays (Stretch Records/Concord)

Connie Han: Iron Starlet (Mack Avenue)

Richard Howell: Moon Over Tiburon (Pomona Sunrise Records)

Marcin Wasilewski Trio featuring Joe Lovano: Arctic Riff (ECM)

Terje Rypdal: Conspiracy (ECM)

Michael Olatuja: Lagos Pepper Soup (Whirlwind Recordings)

Gerald Clayton: Happenings- Live At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note)

Chase Baird: Pulsar (single) (Outside In Music)

Chris Potter: There Is A Tide (Edition Records)

Wolfgang Muthspiel: Angular Blues (ECM)

Chien Chien Lu: The Path (Self produced)

Oded Tzur: Here Be Dragons (ECM)

Ambrose Akinmusire: on the tender spot of each calloused moment (Blue Note)

Reissues/Archival releases:

Brecker Brothers: Live And Unreleased (Piloo)

Sonny Rollins: Rollins In Holland (Resonance)

Art Blakey And the Jazz Messengers: Just Coolin' (Blue Note)

Thelonious Monk: Palo Alto (Impulse!/Sony/Legacy)

#jazz #2020 #impulse records #Blue Note records #good music #Thana Alexa

[talhaghafoor2019-blog]

One Year Since Chester Bennington’s Death And Linkin Park’s Music Helps Us Deal With The Loss

PA

Chester Bennington died one year ago today, July 20, 2017, found at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California after taking his own life.

The music industry and beyond switched its default setting to mourn once again, as tributes for the 41-year-old dad of six flooded social media.

We all knew the music of Linkin Park – the band Chester fronted for years – resonated with an army of disenfranchised outsiders, but the outpouring of grief was overwhelming in scale.

Getty

From the moment Hybrid Theory exploded onto our Walkmans with the opening bars of Papercut, we were hooked.

Each song is a three-minute ball of nu metal energy; a heady cocktail of hip-hop, modern rock, and atmospheric electronica, punctuated with instrumental experimentation, which was like sweet musical nectar to our adolescent ears.

The six-piece painted pictures of dark places which piqued some listeners’ curiosity to the depth of the human condition, and simply reminded others of their own struggles.

Hearing Chester brazenly scream ‘shut up’ at the world in One Step Closer felt euphoric to hoards of youths like us, who felt they hadn’t quite found their own voice yet.

The debut album quickly garnered mainstream success in a way never before achieved by an alternative metal mash-up.

Hybrid Theory was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2005, making it the best-selling debut album of the decade, as well as one of the few albums ever to hit that many sales.

But with great songwriting comes great pressure, as UNILAD Sound discovered:

Linkin Park took their responsibility to fans seriously, and created music marked by a perpetual sense of honesty. Honesty about struggling and, as they put it, dancing with demons.

Chester had been sexually abused as a child, went through the strain of his parents’ divorce at just 11, was bullied at school and eventually turned to drug and alcohol abuse.

To overcome addiction and emotional trauma, he started writing poetry and music.

You can find out how others cope with their own cases of child sex abuse below:

One year after his suicide, it’s natural to read into the award-winning song lyrics written by Bennington and his bandmate Mike Shinoda.

Dr Arthur Cassidy told UNILAD this type of ‘parasocial interaction’ between rockstars and their armies of supporters occurs when ‘fans know lots about their pop singers and rappers but the celebs know nothing about their fans’.

This idolisation can create a lot of unrealistic expectations and put pressure on public figures who are – let’s remember – humans with vulnerabilities and mental health stressors themselves.

Listening to Chester, immortalised in his music, can’t bring back the frontman.

But, today, let’s stick on Hybrid Theory or Meteora and appreciate how he can still help fans deal with their own grief, sadness and struggle.

Chester’s earlier piercing vocals – the perfect foil to Shinoda’s low-key licks – are spiked with anger and frustration, but singing along to the epic choruses brings catharsis, whether you can hit the high notes or not.

Sometimes, Chester’s words are ragged with emotion, screamed through gritted teeth. Often, in the bridge, his melodic vocal captures a quiet pain, selflessly showing his own vulnerability to help others put words and metaphor and tunes to their own.

Getty

Over time – and six further album releases – Linkin Park’s raw anger matured and became more nuanced, as did their ability to layer sounds and create walls of sound, both on stage and in the studio.

The final album almost reads like an acceptance letter, an ode to the trials and tribulations of life, which can make you that little bit stronger when you have a support network.

Now, the Linkin Park back catalogue helps us grieve one year later and carry forward the messages of unity and inclusivity Chester championed throughout his life.

Chester began his musical career with Grey Daze, a post-grunge band from Phoenix, Arizona, who recorded three albums; Demo in 1993, Wake/Me in 1994, and …no sun today in 1997.

Then he joined LP – founded in rural LA by Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson – where he worked hard beyond their musical output to support fans and his show business peers.

Their rap metal style welcomed more diverse collaborations, ushering in Projeckt Revolution and the likes of Cypress Hill, Adema, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and later Busta Rhymes, Pusha T and Steve Aoki, to bring members of different musical tribes together on tracks.

Jay Z has famously paid tribute to Chester a number of times since his death, performing the Grammy-winning Numb/Encore from their collaborative 2004 album, Collision Course, on stage to emotional crowds.

All the while, Linkin Park were accepted by the rock’n roll’elite, winning countless awards during their run and playing on the same stages as the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden, Placebo and Deftones.

Meanwhile, the band founded a charity called Music For Relief, which staged fundraising events for the victims of over 20 natural disasters, and still works hard to help those hard up today.

We are deeply grateful to every person who donated in any amount to @MusicForRelief's One More Light Fund in honor of @ChesterB 's birthday. Together, you raised more than $90,000 to shine a light on mental health. Thank you for making this possible!

— Music for Relief (@MusicForRelief) April 9, 2018

In 2013, Chester fronted Stone Temple Pilots – a band he cites as an early musical influence – for two years before leaving to focus solely on Linkin Park.

Their last album, released in May a few months before Chester’s death, was received badly by the old vanguard of Linkin Park fans, some of whom unjustifiably said the band had ‘gone soft’.

While tracks like Talking To Myself and Battle Symphony have a more mainstream electro vibe, in hindsight, the new sound marked a moment of acceptance for Linkin Park by the pop culture jury.

Yet, they weren’t forced to change to achieve global success and recognition.

They grew and used their own progression and creative talent to break through barriers, and break the mould of what music critics think matters.

Collaborations with Stormzy, Pusha T and Kiiara show the band were moving forward towards the future of alternative metal, its chameleon-like changeability, and how young artists could take up the baton.

A post shared by LINKIN PARK (@linkinpark) on Jul 20, 2017 at 3:49pm PDT

Shinoda, who has since confirmed LP will continue, said of the title track:

was written with the intention of sending love to those who lost someone. We now find ourselves on the receiving end.

In memorial events, art, videos, and images, fans all over the world have gravitated towards this song as their declaration of love and support for the band and the memory of our dear friend, Chester.

We are so very grateful and can’t wait to see you again.

Chester is remembered in his latest solo project, Post Traumatic, as well as through the , set up by Music For Relief, which aims to shine a light on mental health matters.

Chester’s wife, Talinda Bennington, also initiated a movement called 320 Changes Direction, in honour of her husband to help break the stigma surrounding mental health.

She encouraged other public figures to post to social media saying, ‘I am the change’:

Today we honor the life and music of @linkinpark’s @ChesterBe. @TalindaB joins me on @Beats1@AppleMusic to talk #320ChangesDirection alongside a special Playlist made by @mikeshinoda. 10 am PT. Be the change. https://t.co/Urz4A9nnO3#IAMTHECHANGE#MakeChesterProudpic.twitter.com/vDindLb4bB

— Zane Lowe (@zanelowe) March 20, 2018

Just days before Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK, Talinda called out the media for perpetrating the stigma of suicide in the language used to describe Avicii’s death.

Today, across the world, fans will show there is no shame in depression or poor mental health, having organised meet-ups and tribute nights to Chester, celebrating his life.

Talinda compiled a list of events and shared it online for those interested:

With the one year fast approaching, there are so many beautiful memorials planned all around the WORLD in honor of Chester. I wanted to share them with you. ❤️

https://t.co/cwboB8Jxbt

— Talinda Bennington (@TalindaB) July 3, 2018

Meanwhile, the fans of Linkin Park and Chester have found other more permanent ways to honour his memory – and his creativity and love for body art – in thousands of memorial tattoos.

While the alternative ink is a fitting tribute, there’s no better way to show respect and love for Chester than reaching out to someone you think might be struggling too.

You can check some of the ink designs out below:

Arm still a little swollen and my hand as well but guess it’s ok now. Time to post a pic in my feed 4 days past. Watch my story to see more if you’re interested 🔥

A post shared by 🌙💀🦋 (@jasminlivingthings) on Jan 29, 2018 at 3:31am PST

amazing ♡ great artwork by @babichtattooart • #chestertattoo #chesterbenningtontattoo #linkinpark #chesterbennington #wemissyou #potd #tb #art #beautiful #love #tattoo #artist #artistsoninstagram

A post shared by Chester Bennington Fans (@chesterbenningtonfans) on Dec 3, 2017 at 7:40am PST

Memoriam tattoo … 😶 #memoriam #memoriamtattoo #linkinpark #riptattoo #chesterbennington #chesterbenningtontattoo

A post shared by Astrid Köpfler (@astridkoepfler) on Jun 24, 2018 at 10:43am PDT

Homenaje de Vani 💕🎤

A post shared by Fresia Tatuajes (@fresia.tattoo) on Jan 9, 2018 at 4:31pm PST

This means so much to me. This man and this band have helped me overcome some of my darkest days and will continue to be my therapy for the rest of my life. This will be a reminder of that and to #makechesterproud ❤️ Now, time to start saving for my portrait piece! 😉😄 #LP #LPtattoo #LPfan #LinkinPark #LinkinParktattoo #ChesterBennington #ChesterBenningtontattoo #music #musicislife #musicistherapy #fuckdepression #clubtattoo

A post shared by Ashley (@shleebers) on Oct 1, 2017 at 9:44am PDT

Linkin Park is hands down my all time favorite band and made a huge impact on me in my life. When Chester passed, I wasn't expecting it to hit me as hard as it did. So when Chester passed, I wanted to do a memorial tattoo for him. So I got this today. Still have the shading to do. Really happy with how it's turning out. Thanks @gabslopez2u #tat #tats #tatted #tattedup #tattoo #tattooart #tattoosocial #tattoos #tattoosofinstagram #tattooed #tattooedandeducated #tattooedandemployed #inked #inkedup #linkinpark #linkinparktattoo #lptattoo #chesterbennington #chesterbenningtontattoo #calftattoo #pain #painful

A post shared by RJ Clark (@welcome.2.my.life) on May 30, 2018 at 6:00pm PDT

All those years ago, at the turn of the millennium in 2000, Hybrid Theory left us with a High Voltage closing sentiment, as Shinoda spits, ‘From now to infinity let icons be bygones’.

Even though Linkin Park shunned labels, thrived on authenticity and embraced difference, funnily enough, the band which so dismissed the need for idolisation by way of their own uniqueness, made Chester an icon of kindness and inclusivity.

In the end, that’s all that really matters.

Getty

RIP Chester.

You can speak to someone confidentially about your mental health and wellbeing by calling one of the following numbers: Samaritans – 116 123
, Childline – 0800 1111 (UK) / 1800 66 66 66 (ROI), 
Teenline – 1800 833 634 (ROI).

If you have a story to tell, contact UNILAD via [email protected]

This content was originally published here.

[munibainprogress]

Did You Come Here To Find History

The various combinations of appropriated images laid side by side, only connecting at points which the eyes of the portraits meet, create a jittery narrative about Nusra Latif Qureshi’s struggle to connect with art history. Nusra Latif Qureshi’s artwork ‘Did You Come Here to Find History?’(2009) formally odes to the art of filmmaking in a number of ways. The images that are composed in a linear structure can directly be related to both the linear structure of historical narratives (timeline) as well as the linear structure of a film (storyline). The images which are digitally printed on a clear film and displayed on a light box reminisce, in an almost romantic manner, the projectors which were used to screen third cinema films in the underground basements of Latin America.

In this paper, I aim to formally and thematically read ‘Did You Come Here to Find History’ with regard to the cut and paste montage aesthetic of the films of Third Cinema, in particular Octavio Getino and Fernando Solanas’s La hora de los hornos (1968) and Reece Auguiste (Black Audio Film Collective)’s Twilight City (1989). After which I will focus on Qureshi’s attempt to reconstruct art history as a polycentric history and how this with regard to the films of third cinema can be seen as a stand against imperialism.  

Film as a form of communication has certain characteristics that allows them to draw audiences which include people of difference origins, many of whom might not respond favourably to the announcement of a political speech. Film’s ability to reach to the masses elevates its importance as a useful medium for certain political vanguards.

Similar motives can be assumed to be considered by Qureshi while showing in this format at the Venice Biennale. The international platform ensures a wide array of audiences of different origins whom she can make aware of the incoherence in the art history narrative. She further goes on to comment on how this incoherence results in identity struggles which a Pakistani diasporic artist may face while exhibiting on an international platform.

The tools which Qureshi uses to communicate this historical narrative and its incoherence are the images which she chooses to use in her work, which include, a photograph of an anonymous 19th century Indian acrobat, 18th century Mughal portraits, 17th century Venetian paintings and a passport photograph of the artist herself.

The use of appropriated images in Qureshi’s artwork make a similar statement as that made by diasporic African artists who work in the medium of garbage and recycled materials. These artists are obliged to recreate their history out of scraps and remains of debris as their own history has been destroyed, misrepresented and dispersed rather than lovingly remembered. Garbage thus becomes an ideal medium for those who themselves have been cast off and broken down.

Shohat and Stam explain that in aesthetic terms these hand me down aesthetics and history making embody an art of discontinuity. The heterogeneous scraps making up a quilt for example incorporate diverse styles, time period and materials. The heterogeneous scraps found in Qureshi’s work are present in the contrasting styles of the Venetian portraits and Mughal portraits and the striking time difference present through the introduction of photographs among the detailed aristocrat portraits.

The hand me down aesthetic is also present in La hora de los hornos as well as in Twilight City, as both films depend greatly on their uses of archival footage. Shohat and Stam explain that for filmmakers without great resource, raw-footage minimalism reflects practical necessity as well as artistic strategy. In a film like La hora de los hornos unpromising raw footage is transmogrified into art as the alchemy of sound-image montage transforms the base metals of titles, blank frames and wild sound into the gold and silver rhythmic virtuosity. Compilation filmmakers like Solanas and Getino rearrange and re-edit pre-existing filmic materials while trying to fly below the radar of bourgeois legalities.

When Qureshi’s artwork is looked at as a narrative of images, the narrative is not a visually smooth transition of images. The abrupt stops between the images are heightened by the stark contrast of the Venetian portraits, Mughal miniature portraits and photographs of an Indian acrobat and of Qureshi herself.

However, the jittery narrative of the work is greatly reflective of one of the most striking aesthetic features of both La hora de los hornos and Twilight City, which are the short clips of which they are made up. Julio García Espinosa explained that is reasons for this is that objective of imperfect cinema was not to focus on artist and technical excellence, Imperfect cinema is no longer interested in quality or technique it is the opposite of a cinema dedicated to celebrate results. Espinosa maintains that imperfect cinema must focus on the process which generates the problem and submit it to judgement without pronouncing the verdict.  The very fact that Qureshi chooses to align the images at no other point besides the eyes of the portraits illustrates her process of searching for her history among the aristocratic portraits and the repetitive search through various combinations of the same image show no verdict to the process.

The cinema of the revolution is seen as one of deconstruction and construction at the same time. Deconstruction of the image that neo-colonialism has created of itself and of us and construction of a throbbing living reality which recaptures truth in any of its expressions. A similar deconstruction and construction of art history takes place in Qureshi’s work through the overlaying of images. Her choice of a Venetian portrait and Mughal miniature painting highlight the position of privilege assumed by the aristocrats of the 19th century. The parallel of decadence and a privileged level of artistic encouragement are constant between the two portraits. Mughal and Venetian paintings which Qureshi has chosen were made in a time in which the monarchy and the rich, who earned their money from trade, assumed a position of privilege which ensured their immortality in art history. While in reality these monarchs had little to do with art history.

Solanas and Getino explain that imperialism and capitalism veil everything behind a stream of images and appearance. The image of reality is more important than reality itself. It is this stream of images that Qureshi deconstructs with the ironic contrast of photographs, of herself and an Indian acrobat who bears a striking resemblance to Qureshi, against detailed decedent portraits to point out how wastefully well preserved the paintings are. She further questions the preservation of these paintings by placing herself in the midst of them and emphasizing the fact that subjects of the portraits bear no significance to history, neither art history nor Qureshi’s.

A similar break in the narrative take places in Twilight City, as the correspondence between Olivia and her mother in Dominica strategically interrupts the interviews and archival footage. This creates the signature irregular rhythm of third cinema.  The archival footage plays an important role in the film as it contextualises the correspondence between Olivia and her mother. It further elaborates the repercussions of the physical and social change which took place in London while adding a humanising factor.

The irregular rhythm of Twilight City of the interviews, the voice of Olivia and the archival footage is strikingly similar to the irregular rhythm in Qureshi’s work as she places photographs of herself among detailed decedent aristocrat portraits and fails to achieve a place for herself in history. Similar to how Olivia and her mother fail to find a place for themselves in London during the conservative rule.

Qureshi’s narrative progresses with the use of various combinations of overlaid images. It is with this narrative which she deconstructs the images that the monarchy has created of itself, that is a false image of great importance in art history.

Espinosa agrees that there can be no “impartial” or “uncommitted” art, there can be no new and genuine qualitative jump in art, unless the concept and the reality of the “elite” is done away with once and for all.

It is through the deconstruction of these portraits that Qureshi points out the gaps, which are emphasised by the contrasting photographs and meticulous portraits, in history. However, it is these gaps and incoherence in history which Qureshi aims to do in this artwork. The revision of history which Qureshi aims at with this artwork is emphasized by its linear structure, which can be directly associated with the linear structure of historical events (timeline) as well as the linear structure of a narrative and a film. Within Qureshi’s linear structure, we see glimpses of what Shohat and Stam refer to as the ‘polycentric history’.

Europe has always been represented to have played a central and important role in art history while non-European third world countries are continually represented as less developed and lagging behind. Visuals, which are an integral part of culture and history, greatly aid these misconceptions.

Solanas and Getino elaborate that culture, art, science and cinema always respond to conflicting class interests. In the neo-colonial situation two concepts of culture, art, science and cinema compete that of the rulers and that of the nation. They go on to say that culture becomes bilingual not because of the use of two languages but due to the conjuncture of two different cultural patterns of thinking. One is national, that of the people and the other is estranging that of the classes subordinate to outside forces.

According to Shohat and Stam, this perspective ignores the theory of polycentric history that sees the world as interlinked living the same historical moment under diverse modalities of subordination. Qureshi’s contrasting use of the realism displayed in the Venetian portraits with the flatness of the Mughal miniature portraits illustrate Shohat and Stam’s idea of a polycentric history through the diversity of culture and style but at the same time highlights the similarities of aristocratic patrons in both the Venetian and Mughal cultures.

Espinosa, in For an Imperfect Cinema, mentions “When we look toward Europe, we wring our hands. We see that the old culture is totally incapable of providing answers to the problems of art.” He further goes on to say that this is the moment that the underdeveloped can deck themselves out as men of culture. Shohat and Stam agree and state that a polycentric approach, in our view, is a long over-due gesture toward historical equity and lucidity, a way of re-envisioning the global politics of visual culture.

Qureshi’s attempts to correct art history may also be read as her attempts to protest against imperialism. As highlighted in the paper Towards a Third Cinema, and as mentioned earlier, imperialism veils everything behind a stream of images and appearance which thus makes the image of reality is more important than reality itself.

Solanas and Getino explain that it is because of these manipulative ways that the cinema of revolution focuses on both the construction and deconstruction of the image that neo-colonialism has created of itself and of us. Qureshi fights a similar battle against imperialism through the correction of history in her work and pointing out their irrelevance in art history.

One of the main motives of the cinema of revolution is to make the public aware of its own misery, not through a single film but an evolving complex of films. La hora de los hornos shows how a film can be made in hostile circumstances when it has the support and collaboration of militants and cadres from the people. And the power that such a film holds to start and begin dialogue in hostile circumstances.  

Solanas and Getino stress this greatly as they say that the film is a pretext for dialogue for the seeking and finding of wills. It is a report that we place before you for your consideration to be debated after the showing. This can also be seen as the reason why imperfect cinema does not strife for perfection or to compile a verdict. It is this open-endedness that encouraged the debates that followed film screenings in underground Latin America.

Similar motives are present in Qureshi’s artwork as she pays a tribute to the medium of film on a massive international platform such as the Venice Biennale. The open-endedness of the narrative of the artwork are certainly reflective of the third cinema films which formed a pretext for dialogical interaction between individuals, communities and cultures from which art is born.  

Works Cited

Shohat E., Stam R., ‘Narrativizing Visual Culture. Towards a polycentric aesthetics in Visual Culture Reader. Ed. By Nicholas Mirzoeff. London and New York. (Course Package)

Solanas, F., Getino. O, ‘Towards a Third Cinema’ New Latin American Cinema. Vol 1. Ed. by Michael T. Martin. Wayne State University Press (Detroit)

Rocha, Glauber, ‘The Aesthetics of Hunger’

Espinosa, Julio García, ‘For an Imperfect Cinema’ trans. Julianne Burton, Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, 1979, 2005

Nasar, Hammad. ‘Reflective Looking, An expanded notion of self in the work of Nusra Latif Qureshi’ (2009) http://www.portrait.gov.au/content/nusra-latif-qureshi (Last accessed December 5 2014)

Ogidi, Ann, ‘Twilight City (1989)’, http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/475335/index.html (Last accessed December 7 2014)