renée green reflections

8/7/2019 Renée Green Reflections

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RenŽe GreenReflections:Seven YearsPlus

LocationsWhere is here? My neck of the woods?ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊThe United States, San Francisco, OaklaBerkeley, East Bay, Los Angeles, California, NewYork, Manahatta, Washington Heights, QuisqueyaHeights, Akron, Ohio, Durham, North Carolina,Chicago, Illinois, Boston and Cambridge,Massachusetts, Taos, New Mexico, Dallas-FortWorth, Texas, Belgium, Brussels, Spain,

Mallorca, Santany’, Barcelona, Brazil, S‹o Paulo,Sampa, Jardins, Ch‡cara Flora, Finland, Helsinki,Turku, •bo, Finnish Archipelago, Utš, Armenia viaGeneva. Corbett Street, Nagel Avenue,Campinas, CŽsar Chavez, Third St.ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊMy points of reference. Places of traversinhabitation, and energy expenditure. Friends,family, colleagues. From countries, a country ofcitizenship, to cities of residence, to workingplaces, to street names. And living? Residing?This is taking place 24/7. In the car, on thesubway, in the train, on planes. And while

walking.ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊWhere do you vote? Do you pay taxes? Twhom? What is your stake in any place? Whichplaces can you inhabit? Wherever they may be,are these places only working places, wheretaxes are extracted? Or are they shelters? Isthere such a thing?ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊIÕve spent the largest number of days thyear in California. San Francisco. The mythicalbastion of progressives. An anomaly in Californiabecause it is a walkable city, however hilly. Uponfirst glance, some Europeans claim that it moreclosely resembles Europe than other places inthe US. ItÕs sooooooo beautiful, doesnÕt Romealso have seven hills? Imperial San Francisco byGray Brechin is worth reading for a contrastingaccount of the idyll. If read carefully, the presentseems less surprising, even if many liberalpreconceptions shatter. Gold and mining. Twomemorable words. Does anyone remember ElDorado?

Brief San Francisco notes following theNovember 2010 election:

Symbolic Rupture?ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊA: ÒWhat do you think of the Tea Party?ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊB: ÒLetÕs REALLY have a tea party.Everywhere. Do you know how much effort isinvolved in organizing tea parties? I think we allshould concentrate on having them. LetÕs reallydo it! Continually.Ó

*****

ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊOne currently running SFMOMA exhibiÒHow Wine Became Modern.Ó☺

*****

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ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊCŽsar Chavez, the street I often drive on tocut through the Mission to go to Potrero Hill andDogpatch, looks the same, still lined with menwaiting each day for work, most likely withoutdocuments. A new Walgreens drugstore has beenbuilt on this street, under a new pastel-coloredapartment building. Rote Mexican imagery ispainted by non-Mexicans on a wall. I watchedthese processes every day from the car while

waiting at traffic lights.

ViewsWhen I returned to the US in 2003 to work andlive I came, by invitation, to a university in a townin central coastal California. There were palmtrees. From my office I could walk to the PacificOcean. But I was often in the car. Driving to teachan evening class at the university I happenedupon a radio program that I didnÕt want to turnoff. I was relieved that it ended just before classbegan. It was called Hard Knock Radio . In SantaBarbara, a beach town with a large university Ðpart of the University of California system ofstate universities Ð I heard voices airingperspectives and sounds about urbanexperiences and views of the world thatencompassed aesthetics, forms of creation,imprisonment, forms of freedom, andpenetrating perspectives on daily life as theycould be felt by a subway or BART passenger whomight be considered a suspect of an unnamedcrime Ð for example, for being a shade of brown.And shot, for example. Repeated encounters andlocal protests came through the airwaves,reaching me at a location where people wereliterally surfing. HKR is described as being thelistener-sponsored Pacifica radio station KPFAÕship-hop public affairs program. It was a welcomebuoy.

Oakland Local

Recently when searching online for moreinformation on Hard Knock Radio I read inOakland Local about changes occurring at KPFAinvolving Òlabor issues, hostile management, lotsof infighting (as usual), layoffs and budget cutsÓthat threaten continued broadcasting of theprogram.1 This seems like a general descriptionof what has been increasingly taking place at a

number of institutions since the Òglobal financialcollapse of 2007Ó began, at public and privateuniversities, art museums, as well as inpublishing. Financial pressure from theboardroom, which can also affect content, isusually hierarchically passed down. I learnedthat Hard Knock Radio had emerged in 1999 as aresponse to progressive KPFAÕs Òdiversityissues,Ó which can be translated to mean thatrepresentation on the station was perceived ashomogenous and unresponsive to the diversity(economic and historic) of local inhabitants.

Interestingly, the timing corresponds with otherinstances of political agency initiated at thattime. HereÕs an excerpt:

The Old Guard organized a tired-ass folkconcert at Berkeley Community Theatrewith the usual suspects and we whorided itwith Spearhead and turned that mutha out.It was an amazing show of force and it wasour generation of progressives flexing ourcollective political muscle with the largerprogressive community for the first time.When we were done, people like Van Jonesand Michael Franti were household names.It was a great moment.

HKR ended up being the only on-airexample of a new ÒKPFA TransformationPlanÓ that was the result of communitymeetings involving listeners, paid andunpaid staff and a young, emerging media justice leadership that was part of aparallel emergence of hip hop activism andscholarship. We demanded a prime timeslot and 4pm was our target because theexisting plan was to re-run the morningbroadcast of ÒDemocracy Now.Ó We got theslot, but it became a daily battle to proveour worth and in the end, I lost the will tocontinue fighting. 2

Always Returning: One VersionAgain, she tried to live as a US citizen in the US.When she returned in January 2003 to work andlive there, she had just left Vienna, where shehad worked and lived for five years, commuting

to New York to remain legal as a working guest inAustria. She had left, in part, because she was

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not an Austrian citizen and her prospects hadreached their peak, even if she wishedotherwise. Jšrg Haider had been elected at theend of 1999 and fear of the strength of the farright and its effects on various facets of life,particularly for a foreigner like herself, was stillpalpable. It was predicted that this state ofaffairs was going to continue for at least anothereight years. She was invited to return to the US,

to California, as an artist Ð a distinguished one,with tenure. The rector in Vienna congratulatedher on a brilliant prospect before sheÕd evenagreed to take the position. It seemed to be a faitaccompli. An excellent opportunity. He'd go in aminute, he'd said.

ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ2000:



ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ2003: In February 2003 massive proteststook place in different cities around the world toprotest the projected war in Iraq. In March thewar began. During the next election year shemade a film that included her search to test thepulse of resistance to war locally and elsewherein the US by focusing on what independentmedia producers and journalists were doing.Free Agent Media (FAM) and she went toMadison, Wisconsin to attend the IndependentMedia Conference. She witnessed therecognizable spokespeople of the liberal left andthe people they endorsed. Democracy Now , TheNation , and The Progressive were represented.Billy Bragg sang. She collected print material andvideotaped. She was approached to share herfootage. Enthusiasm was building as a newelection would take place in 2004. It was a

chance to have a president besides George W.Bush. The name of the film is Here Until October

2004 , and it was being made up until the momentwhen the election results were in. That was acondition of the film. Bush won. Were The Leftgoing to leave the country in massive numbers assome in the university setting of the beach townwhere she resided threatened? A picture ofGeorge W. Bush appeared in the office of the ArtDepartment, without irony. Four more yearspassed. What happened?

ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊPublished in 2004:ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊThomas Frank,WhatÕs the Matter withKansas? (Made into a movie in 2010)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊAmy Goodman with David Goodman,TheException to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians,War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them(And recently, Breaking the Sound Barrier )ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊDavid Barsamian,Louder than Bombs:Interviews from The Progressive Magazine (Hisonline archives have grown to an impressivenumber, although access isnÕt free, but neither

are books.)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ2005:



ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ2008: Barack Obama elected President,Proposition 8 passed

ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ2009: Independent media continued andassumed other forms. I moved to San Franciscofor a new job in 2005. I noticed before my arrivalthat many people were being laid off or decidingto move to Austin, and there was an extremesense of instability that had been building,despite rhetoric about fast moving trains andidentity branding. In 2008 the economic crash hitvery hard. By 2009 IÕd witnessed at least twentypeople removed or laid off and new terms likeÒfurloughÓ Ð a military term, which in its civilusage means to not work or be paid for a monthor a designated period of time to be determinedby the employing institution Ð became known, aswell as the term Òfinancial exigency,Ó which canbe equated with Òstate of exception,Ó meaningthat contracts have no validity under thesecircumstances as the life of the institutiondetermines what is necessary to sustain it.Period.ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊA conservative wind? From my perspectthis never subsided. There are of coursespecificities that can be noted in different placesand times, but the foundation linked to excessesof financial capitalism continue, despite shiftingobfuscations.

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And art? (December 2010)

The Old World custom of hushedconsultations in the back rooms of a galleryseems as dated and Jamesian as to bequaint. At fairs like Art Basel Miami Beach,Aby Rosen (the German-born real estatetycoon) suggested, with no excess ofmodesty, Òthe three most important worlds

in the culture right now Ð fashion, realestate and art Ð are pulled together.Ó É ÒArthas tremendous asset potential,Ó said Mr.Rosen. ÒAll the other luxuries depreciate,and art is one thing that has the potentialto appreciate.Ó É ÒItÕs like a private club,ÓMs. Becca Cason Thrash (a Texas socialiteand art collector) said. ÒWe all collect art.We all love to travel. We all love beingtogether on the circuit. You see your friendsand itÕs like, ÔSame time, next fairÕ.Ó3

Existence, Films, LifeA recurring question remains: How to live life?ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊMy wish has been to think about a recentpassage of time, during which shifts andmodified repetitions occur. This has led tothinking about what no longer interests me, aswell as what does. Usually film can still rouseand touch me profoundly. Among those madesince 2005 I include Rize , Shut Up and Sing , andThis is It , as they add tension to reflections onplace and the US.ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊIn the Spanish Cinema Now festival in NewYork, I recently watched TambiŽn la lluvia (Eventhe Rain , 2010), directed by Ic’ar Bolla’n andwritten by Paul Laverty. It was a relief to see anattempt to combine several contemporarysituations in a reflective mixture. Set in

contemporary Bolivia amidst the 2000Cochabamba water crisis, the attempt to make

an ethical historical feature film aboutChristopher Columbus encounters variousparadoxes. It features Gael Garc’a Bernal cast asan intense, idealistic, driven director and LuisTosar as the pragmatic budget-consciousproducer. The recruited extras and actors are acrucial element of a story that resonatespowerfully with current battles for access toresources. Watching this film, I felt that it is still

possible to creatively and actively engage inpresenting complexities of living in anaesthetically compelling form that can spur theconjunction of thinking and action regardingstruggles over power, histories, subjectivities,and resources in fresh ways that acknowledge aviewerÕs Ð and Ic’ar Bolla’nÕs Ð kaleidoscopicimbrication in these processes. Questions abouthow to have an ethical relation to others, toanyone other than oneself, are also raised. Howmight equitable conditions appear if they are notfirst imagined?

ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊEnacting examined thought, asEven theRain demonstrates, is related to a power andagency each individual potentially holds. Oncethese potentials are recognized, each person canchoose to change oppressive conditions that arenot natural, but constructed by human forces. ItisnÕt easy.Ê In the words of Howard Zinn, to whomthe film is dedicated, ÒYou do things again andagain, and nothing happens É Things take a longtime.Ê It requires patience, but not a passivepatience Ð the patience of activism.Ó4

ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ×

All images courtesy of the artist and Free Agent Media

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RenŽe Green is an artist, filmmaker, and writer wholives and works in San Francisco and New York. Surveyexhibitions of 20 years of her work were organized in2009 by the MusŽe Cantonal des Beaux-Arts,Lausanne, and in 2010 by the Yerba Buena Center forthe Arts, San Francisco. In 2008 the Galerie Nationaldu Jeu de Paume, Paris organized a retrospective ofher films. Selected solo exhibitions venues include theMuseum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; DallasMuseum of Art; De Appel Foundation, Amsterdam;Vienna Secession; Fundaci— Antoni Tˆpies, Barcelona;

Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati & the NationalMaritime Museum, Greenwich, London; her work hasbeen included in many group exhibitions; some venuesinclude Museum Ludwig, Cologne; MACBA, Barcelona;Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris & InternationalCenter of Photography, New York; her work has alsobeen present at the Whitney, Venice, Johannesburg,Kwangju, Berlin, Sevilla & Istanbul Biennials, as wellas in Documenta XI.ÊShe has published essays inTransition , October , Frieze , Flash Art , Texte zur Kunst ,Spex , Sarai Reader , and Collapse among othermagazines and journals.

ÊÊÊÊÊÊ1Eric Arnold, ÒFarewell, KPFA:Hard Knock RadioÕs WeylandSouthon explains why heÕsleaving,ÓOakland Local ,http://oaklandlocal.com/article/hard-knock-radio%E2%80%99s-weyland-southon-explains-why-he%E2%80%99s-leaving- kpfa.

ÊÊÊÊÊÊ2Ibid.

ÊÊÊÊÊÊ3Guy Trebay, ÒOn the BillionairesÕFlyway,Ó Sunday Styles,The NewYork Times , December 12, 2010,1, 8Ð9.

ÊÊÊÊÊÊ4David Barsamian, ÒHoward Zinn,July 1997Ó inLouder thanBombs, Interviews from TheProgressive Magazine(Cambridge, MA: South EndPress, 2004), 206.

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