There are many issues, both social and political, that can be seen today. Although there are many members of our society, it does not mean that everyone takes their time to see the issues that are really going on. When this occurs, we must count on those who use their voice or talents to shine a light on these important issues and find a way that they can show others that there is always possible solution. These people are known to be the activists and artists in our communities that focus on social and political issues. We know that an activist is a person who campaigns for some kind of social change. This could be accomplished by protesting, or by using a different form of expression such as art. There are many artists from the past and present that have used their work to demonstrate and express the issues that they believe are important. One of these social issues that a few artists have decided to focus on is the issue involving homelessness.
Homelessness refers to the condition of those without a permanent dwelling, such as a house or a valid form of shelter. Those who are in fact homeless have trouble finding a safe place to live due to economic or mental health issues. Homelessness is a very important issue that we are facing today. It is seen all throughout the country, in our major cities and in another areas where one wouldn’t necessarily think there were. Even though most of us know about this, we don’t tend to do our best to support them or provide them with what they really need. Most homeless people tend to hold up signs asking for money or for help, but their messages don’t always seem to reach a lot of people. As mentioned before, there are a few people who do act or have taken action in the form of art in order to support those in need.
One of these artists is Krzysztof Wodiczko. Wodiczko has done many interesting projects, but the one that focuses and addresses the issue of homelessness is his piece titled “Homeless Vehicle”. This vehicle was created in collaboration with the homeless from NYC in about a year long period, from 1988 to 1989. Wodiczko’s idea was to construct an “instrument” or form of shelter for the homeless in urban settings. This vehicle was designed using a shopping cart that was then modified to provide a form of portable shelter and a way to collect cans and bottles. Not only did Krzysztof provide the homeless with a home on wheels, he was able to get the attention of many and engage an audience who is not homeless. Seeing someone walking down the street with a cool modified shopping cart will most likely create controversy. It would raise questions of what they are seeing, which would then lead to the issue behind the project which is homelessness. This is important because it brings awareness to the issue but at the same time, it helps those who are homeless.
Another artist who did something similar to Wodidczko is artist Michael Rakowitz. Rakowitz’s piece is titled “paraSITE”. This is an ongoing project that was created back in 1998. This project is also a form of shelter for the homeless. Instead of it being a moving shelter on wheels like the “Homeless Vehicle” by Wodiczko, it focuses more on the shelter aspect of homelessness. The project “paraSITE” is an inflatable shelter for the homeless made out of plastic bags and tape. After being taped, the bags are attached to air vents on the outside of buildings. The air that escapes through these vents is used to fill the bags to create a heated tent-like shelter. One of the benefits of this project is that it is also portable since it is easy to take apart and reattach. This project was also a collaborative project with the homeless considering that Rakowitz consulted with homeless individuals on what their needs were. He was able to find a very cheap way to help provide the homeless with a form of shelter. These large inflatable shelters do tend to block some of the walkways in its surrounding. This does cause a problem with those trying to make their way around them, but that is what catches the attention of the non-homeless.
Andres Serrano is also an artist that has used his position to shine a light on the homeless population. Serrano’s piece is different compared to the two mentioned before. Andres Serrano is well aware of the issue of homelessness on the streets of NYC. Instead of creating a physical object or a form of shelter for the homeless, Serrano’s project mainly focuses on finding a way to express the identity of the homeless by taking their picture. This project is photography based, and the two pieces he's done are titled “Nomads” and "Residents of New York". At first, Serrano would go around the city with a portable studio and photograph the homeless people. One of the interesting aspects of this project was that the homeless people being photographed would at times pose in a certain way that resembled a heroic pose. These poses represented the way they felt being photographed, which relates to the attention they seek when asking fir help. A few years later Andres Serrano decided to go back and take new pictures. This time he didn’t use his portable studio in order to focus on a direct personal connectivity and interaction between him and the homeless. These photographs still act as a form of awareness because it does show the raw reality of what is to be homeless. This does in a way engage an audience by them witnessing someone who is homeless getting photographed; they would ask themselves why it’s happening. This would make them think about the fact that they are homeless.Overall, all of these artists find a way to use their position in the art world to create projects that work as a form of activism. The challenges that these projects face is important because they make the issue seem more important to those who whiteness them. They raise awareness and show support to those who cannot find it anywhere else. I believe that activism in art is the same as political activism outside of the art world because they both challenge an issue in the way that raises questions. If there was a difference it would be by the medium they choose to use.
Article with video of the project "Homeless Vehicle":
http://artmuseum.pl/en/filmoteka/praca/wodiczko-krzysztof-homeless-vehicle-project
Video of how "paraSITE" is set up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfqi_oql6ms
Article with more pictures from Serrano's photo series "Nomads" and "Residents of New York":
https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/andres-serrano-wants-new-yorkers-to-stop-ignoring-the-homeless-25969
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