After watching Born into Brothels I have to say overall I really didn't like the film all that much. Although I agree with the message the filmmakers were trying to convey, I didn't like the execution. While watching the film I really thought that they portrayed all these kids as hope less and going nowhere while the film portrayed its director, Zana Briski, as some kind of heaven sent instrument who was sent there to free these kids from the Western view point that there is nothing better than a "textbook" education.
I did find that it was effective in catching at least a glimmer of the life of a child (and the differences between the male and female children), and how instead of a research study, which at times can dehumanize people, it used advocacy art in a way of educating those who may be ignorant of the lives outside of their own urban bubbles.
The urban landscape played a dominant role within the context of the film as well. Scenes of tight winding maze-like street could be seen as a 'no-way-out' symbolism. A day trip to a beach gave the viewer as well as the children a brief sense of freedom from the confines of the district as well. I truly wonder of the meaning of the rooftops within the film as a means of escape or a bridge between the present world and a dream like state (think of Mayan upper, middle and lower level worlds analogy).
As an advocacy film for the rights of a child on a global perspective, I believe the film hit its mark. I also feel like they portrayed these kids and their families in a negative light. I am positive that these people never had dreams of becoming prostitutes, its the way life turned out, and the children seem to use apathy as a coping mechanism to deal with life and its harsh realities.
In parallel to this film (an a little closer to home) would have to be a documentary called "Streetwise". Although made in 1984, it looks into the lives of 9 young teens/children coping the streets of downtown Seattle. I will post it on here (and if you have some time, its well worth the watch.) I couldn't find part8, my apologies.
Maintaining one’s language, culture, traditional knowledge, values and spirituality is not an easy task in many Aboriginal communities today, whether they are rural or urban. The questions of interest for this project is: “How do Aboriginal people, living in urban centres, maintain their language, culture, Aboriginal knowledge, art, values, spirituality, their relationship to the land, home communities and their elders or ceremonialists? How does contemporary art reflect traditional values and knowledge of Aboriginal people struggling in urban centres? For those who arrive in urban centres, with all or some of these values in place, life is difficult. After several generations of urban living, these values are quite often in jeopardy. The nature of the urban movement is that there are always new people moving to the city arriving with varying degrees of their culture, language and knowledge base intact. Quite often, these people are very happy to share what they have with those who are interested in learning. Some of the most successful programs in drug and alcohol recovery programs in urban centres for Aboriginal adults and youth have been those centered around the arts – traditional and contemporary art, singing, drumming, theatre, dance, language instruction, as well as programs which take place on the land, such as camping, hunting, trapping, hide tanning, snowshoe construction, and story telling. For many urban Aboriginal people, the connection to their culture and identity is supported through Aboriginal theatre, music, film, video production, dance, social and religious gatherings. In some cases cultural centres and art centres offer courses in dance, traditional dance clothing (regalia), carving, basket weaving, bead work, language, drum making, and wilderness survival, to name but a few activities. This project will present a selection of multi-discipline art forms which address urban Aboriginal interest and issues of culture, identity and social issues affecting their lives today."
I believe the calling has come for my 'Urban Life' project. I have contacted the local friendship centre for contact numbers of elders and those in the first nations community. I am intrigued who a group of peoples who have inhabited this Continent are struggling to keep their identity. We only ever hear of those who immigrated here and have cultural issues, what about those who have always been here?
The year 2008 had witnessed a major shift in the way people across the world live: for the first time in human history more people live in cities than in rural areas. This triumph of the urban, however, does not entirely represent progress, as the number of people living in urban slums—often in abject conditions—will soon exceed one billion. From 2005 to 2007 Jonas Bendiksen documented life in the slums of four different cities: Nairobi, Kenya; Mumbai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Caracas, Venezuela. His lyrical images capture the diversity of personal histories and outlooks found in these dense neighborhoods that, despite commonly held assumptions, are not simply places of poverty and misery. Yet, slum residents continuously face enormous challenges, such as the lack of health care, sanitation, and electricity.The Places We Live brings the modern-day Dickensian reality of these individuals into sharp focus.
For far too long, the world focuses on the gentrification of its lands and then wonders why poverty is an issue. I think this is an important project being proposed for Vancouver's East Side. I truly hope that this is not a 'flash in the pan' and that people are truly concerned about marginalized peoples. -----------------------------------------------------------------
I can relate, oh how I can relate.. tell me,how can someone in the course of in course of 7 years, be living on the streets for 3, be on income assistance for 2(which I think is worse then being homeless) and now in school full time? This scares me to know that areas of life such as economy and and living scenarios can change so drastically. Everyday is a struggle to know that if ones life can change so rapidly what is stopping it from happening again. As I prepare for a presentation involving myths about poverty, this has been a difficult experience reliving things I know I will never forget.
Some of these visual representations of social and urban issues, I think are very much worth taking a gander at. I recommend when viewing them to ignore what the artist has given as the views of the piece. View it personally and then come to your own conclusions and see how you and this artist may have different takes.
Jane Jacobs has called sidewalks "the main public place of a city" and "its most vital organs." Urban sidewalks have long been considered the city's public boardroom. Nevertheless, how sidewalks can be used and by whom have been long debated in court by municipal governments, civil rights advocates, and political activists. Municipalities have historically issued ordinances and regulations to define the appropriate uses of sidewalks and used design strategies to "tame" them and ensure a preconceived urban order. Today sidewalk democracy remains contested as design and regulatory strategies have serious constitutional implications for First Amendment speech and assembly rights. In the nineteenth century, sidewalks as a specifically pedestrian-oriented public space became commonly provided and paid for by abutting property owners and businesses. At that time, streets and sidewalks were used for many activities. Adults promenaded, children played, men and women worked as street vendors. Food and household goods could be purchased at every corner and businesses displayed their wares outside. Since the nineteenth century, however, municipal governments have attempted to exercise significant control over the activities that could take place on public sidewalks. The control that municipalities sought to exert over sidewalk use has extended through contemporary times. Cities govern public activity on sidewalks in numerous ways, such as through local ordinances, land use controls, design review, redevelopment practices, and police procedures.
Four important strategies that municipalities use are:
1. De-emphasis of public sidewalks through the use of introverted spaces and walkways; 2. Beautification efforts and restructuring of neighbourhood space to emphasize only desirable uses; 3. Privatization of formerly public sidewalks through the use of business improvement districts and fencing; and 4. Land use controls aimed to contain certain sidewalk activities in specific areas.
De-emphasis of Sidewalks
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, public spaces in U.S. cities became increasingly privatized; that is, their production, management, and control were turned over to the private sector. This occurred during the massive rebuilding of downtown areas, and as a result, central business districts acquired newly developed spaces open for public use, such as plazas, shopping paseos and gallerias. Developers and municipal planners described these spaces as amenities, but critics condemned their exclusivity. By design, these spaces are inwardly oriented and separate from the public sidewalks. The connection to the public sidewalks is de-emphasized by the use of enclosing walls, blank facades, and entrances through parking structures. The most common examples include sunken or elevated plazas that have become the norm in downtowns. Skywalks also allow for circulation between buildings without touching the street.
Gentrification and Beautification
In the last two decades, many municipalities have also attempted to revitalize, beautify, and gentrify old commercial streets so as to draw crowds of upscale shoppers to their jurisdiction. Driven by both financial motives and a desire to "turn around" decaying and unsafe areas, cities try to re-invent Main Streets and create entertaining shopping experiences. Cities designate pedestrian-oriented districts within which they encourage desirable retail uses such as cafes and bakeries, upscale restaurants, flower shops, boutiques, bookstores, and art galleries. Architectural and landscape design elements, including public art, street furniture and decorative lighting, create an atmosphere for consumption. Buildings can also be renovated or converted, and design guidelines might instil a theme such as art deco or Mediterranean. These improvements have facilitated gentrification: high rents, exodus of small independent shops, and the influx of chain stores.
To tame sidewalk behaviour, cities have enacted regulations to limit unwanted activities. Cities segregate some unwanted activities into separate districts and reduce others in the name of pedestrian circulation. Sexually oriented businesses have been restricted to particular neighbourhoods, creating red light districts, to reduce their presence in other parts of the city. Similarly, emergency relief services such as homeless shelters, food banks, and soup kitchens have been located in skid row districts. The idea of containment has been extended to other activities. Los Angeles, for example, has established a vending district ordinance that allows neighbourhoods to establish vending districts. So far, only one such district has been established, and street vending is prohibited in all other areas. Cities have also tried to contain political protest, but protest has been subject to constitutional protection. Cities also prohibit stationary activities, such as sitting, lying or sleeping on the sidewalks or public ways, and public performances, which they claim interfere with safe pedestrian circulation.
Conclusion
We often take for granted the unadorned sidewalks on which we walk. Nonetheless, sidewalks are rich sites for both control and contestation. In the early 1960s, Jane Jacobs described the pedestrian rhythm on Greenwich Village sidewalks as "sidewalk ballets." Jacobs envisioned the sidewalks as public space par excellence, a context for social contact, assimilation, and integration in the city. We suggest however, that "sidewalk" ballets are turbulent; bringing clashes in public space over questions of citizenship rights, free speech and, ultimately, democracy. What does the future hold for American sidewalks? The tendency has been to segregate, contain and enclose activities, homogenize urban form, and prohibit anything that falls outside a cadre of pre-accepted activities. As citizens and planners, we must resist these tendencies. We must integrate rather than segregate users and uses, incorporate the priorities of local neighbourhoods, and build truly democratic public spaces. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The idea of the uses of urban's "vital organs":
Today at 9am, the 44th president of the United States of America was sworn in: President Barack Hussein Obama. I find it amusing that he and this election in general were more appealing to Canadians then our own elections ( I am still mad at all those who did not fulfill their democratic responsibility), and then I came to this conclusion: our politicians are not sexy enough. We need charismatic people to run this country, we need someone to bring the 'political' sexy back. The ritualistic tendencies of those on top and us (the urban and the hinterlands) trying to figure out how this affects us
I found a wonderful (or what I think is a great path) article, it deals with the idea of public spaces or in the case of the sidewalks, I will post it next time. Namaste
For those who conduct "ethnographies" of the culture which is Starbucks, think about also what is happening visually on your cup. A voice is imprinted on your cup, so not only a ritualized status symbol but a set of ideals as well, make sure its something you follow/believe before you become a walking billboard:
*These are some I have found insightful for me and my lifestyle, so I ask you, what does your urban beverage say about you?
The Way I See It #266
Once, when excavating the house of a medieval sailor on the coast of the Red Sea in Egypt, I found a still-preserved reed mat in front of a door. Under the doormat was a wooden key with the name of the owner painted on it. It was an extraordinary sense of connection with the last person to walk out of that building 700 years ago. -- Fred Hiebert Archaeologist and National Geographic Fellow.
The Way I See It #21
"People need to see that,far from being an obstacle,the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure,affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others." --YoussouN'Dour, Musician
The Way I See It #247
Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure. -- Bill Scheel customer from London, Ontario. He describes himself as a "modern day nobody."
The Way I See It #269
With all the food leaving our kitchens each night, I’m still astonished that this country has a hunger problem. There are hungry people in every community who cannot afford food. While can’t help every family, I can start by helping one. -- Tom Douglas Chef and author.
The Way I See It #280
You can learn a lot more from listening than you can from talking. Find someone with whom you don’t agree in the slightest and ask them to explain themselves at length. Then take a seat, shut your mouth, and don’t argue back. It’s physically impossible to listen with your mouth open. -- John MoeRadio host and author of Conservatize Me.
This semester I am talking a visual arts class (India on Film), we had our first film viewing today and I found it meshed almost perfectly with the Urban Life class, and one of the things I wrote for my film critique was: "Various forms of artistic expression, such as film, are used to contextualize aspects within a culture, and Indian film is no exception. By studying the "culture matrix", we acquire a deeper understanding of the customs, behaviour patterns, values, arts and crafts, and the practices of everyday life for the people inhabiting that culture." Our next film is Mother India, I have seen a few scenes from it and its set in a more rural back drop where as Shree 420 focuses on Raj's (main character) attempt to leave the rural to enter the urban. There are many other key ideas within this film , and I am hoping, if Mother India assists me in comparing and contrasting that of the urban and the rural. I wonder do we have that in western films as well, maybe I shall hunt about.... ahhh I am so excited by this film, so many idea's... Globalization (yes even in the 1950's): one of the songs MerajootahaiJapani Ye pataloonhaiinglistani Sarpelaltopiroosi Par bhidilhaihindustani
My shoes are Japanese And the trousers are English The cap on my head is Russian But my heart is Hindustani [Indian] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Culture: The fact that those who live in the city and Raj himself, are able to have a sub culture on the sidewalk and still retain they are Indian (reminds me of panhandlers in cites) -----------------------------------------------------------------------
There are so many thoughts I have for this film, too many to even write down, but I suggest you watch it, rent it, buy it and then you can see where I am coming from.
Sitting here on the west coast express, making my way though this urban wilderness.... It fun to just watch people. The man two seats ahead and to the left is listening to an iPod, The person who intrigues me the most is an older gentleman 4 seats ahead and on the right of me. Reading... lost in his world of fiction, non-fiction, I don't know. No realization on what is occurring except for that world that is on his pages. Then I start imagining myself at his age and where I will be and what I will be doing, just having that ability and time to do those things (even with all the other things in my life that go on), thinking about the future still amazes me.... and then oh and then some great pieces of advice came back to me, something I heard on the radio in high school and of course, I believe this ties in nicely in giving advice on the urban experience. Maybe you have even heard it before. I see that this journal is heading towards visual anthro Hmmmm.
The point... well the point is to (hopefully) interpret the urban landscape through my worldview. This paradigm is constantly evolving through all I come in contact with (ex: films, books, media, peers, internet, etc). Maybe this will lead me somewhere. So obviously there will be articles and YouTube videos, opinions, comments and anything else I come across which may help in understanding me and my world. Okay because this is the first I will make it short and leave with a music video which has always touched me in so many ways (*bonus, it also has an urban theme as well*)
