"Rumble, Young Man, Rumble"

Spectatorship, Power and Knowledge. Chapter 3 helps convey The POWER of LOOKING. Pay close attention to the Power of the Gaze. Post a blog entry on the Power of the Gaze in Art. Respond to something that caught your attention or (interpellated you).

Art is the means in which one expresses a message or meaning within a medium. Often when one thinks of art, the automatically are drawn towards paintings and sculptures, yet art can be a variety of other things, such as architecture, dance, music, or clothing. As a spectator, one views art, and attempts to relate and find meaning within the art. The gaze, which is when one attempts to relate with what they are looking at, is quite powerful in art. Through the gaze, there is meaning in art, and the spectator then is able to gain some sort of understanding of the artwork. The gaze also influences how one approaches art. The example of red light cameras is a wonderful example of the gaze seen in The Practices of Looking, and mentioned in class. When one sees a red light camera, they assume that it is working, and that they should take caution and do what is legal at a stoplight. Usually, one would not run a red light if aware of the red light camera. The power of the gaze in this particular situation influences the reaction one makes when recognizing the red light camera. Art works in such a way.

A few weeks ago, I visited the Wexner Center for the Arts. A particular piece caught my attention, causing me to interpolate. One of my favorite contemporary artists, Glenn Ligon had a few of his works on display. His piece, called Rumble, Young Man, Rumble was present and contains a punching bag covered in printed text. Upon viewing the piece at a distance, I was attracted by how unusual it was. By using a real-world object, and applying text onto it, it became clear that the punching bag must hold some sort of symbolic meaning to it. The text, in turn, is what is used in order to further convey the meaning within the artwork.

I was unable to find an image of the artwork on the internet, but here's a link to the brochure of the exhibit, in which the image can be found on p.24. It's a pdf file:
http://wexarts.org/ex/index.php?eventid=4209

Upon closer inspection, I was able to see that the text was a controversal monologue, describing the white world into detail. Not only was the text itself quite controversal, but the way in which it was printed seemed to bleed on the punching bag canvas, emphasizing a sense of rawness, or imperfection. The text described a world in which the white man is dominant, as seen by the depiction of Jesus, flour, and even soap. As I realized the text wrapped around the entire bag, I found myself walking in a circle, reading over the entire monologue. Being a white female who grew up in a neighborhood rich in diversity, I grew up respecting and admiring different cultures. To be exposed to such harsh text, I was able to view a worldly perspective that was different to my own. I was able to realize that the color white, symbolizing perfectness, purity, and innocence, has dominated the world in which we live in. This has left discomfort and anger in the eyes of those who are minorities, for they can feel as if they can never live the "white" image that the world has provided them. With each depiction of the color white, there is built up anger, that is dying to explode and release. Not only did I conclude that the piece reflected anger towards a white world, but that the punching bag was also a reflection of black society to break free from the harsh images created by white society. For black society, the sport of boxing historically became a medium in which to rise up and find honor within the white world.

I enjoyed the piece because although I could not directly relate with it, I was able to understand its meaning through Ligon's use of the punching bag. Everyone can relate to a punching bag, wanting to release one's inner angers by punching the bag to let go of oneself. The harsh text was an eye-opener, revealing what many people tend to ignore in our current generation. By placing text on the punching bag, I was drawn by the piece due to its uniqueness and my own curiosity as to what the text had to say. The gaze enabled me to connect the text with the punching bag, and be exposed to issues that bother minorities to this day.