#bysuchandsuch

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"SICK BASED WORLD Part II..."

Created, drawn and written by Dan G. Windsor.

To be continued….

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"A conversation with Shantell Martin..."

Written by Camille Okhio.

WHO ARE YOU YOU ARE YOU

When someone sits down and starts absentmindedly doodling, they’re generally doing it out of boredom. A distraction from something else, the doodle is a manifestation of a half baked thought, with no real direction or self contained purpose. It is perhaps a pleasant, but soulless product of a divided moment. What Shantell Martin creates is not remotely related to the doodle. She creates with a clear mind, focused on the moment and the journey. She draws from her many experiences and aspirations and creates a narrative that is communicative not only in its culmination but in the process of its creation. By allowing her audience to not only view her “finished” work, but her quite personal process of creation, Martin invites her audience to take part in a much more inclusive artistic experience, both in its making and in its consideration.

Viewing Martin’s work is exceptionally calming. Her work encourages the viewer to follow her visual narrative, and hence her subconscious. Shantell even says “drawing is like meditating.” Her mind is completely clear when she creates art and you can see this in the finished product. You can even see this while she is creating her work. She channels out the chaos around her in order to focus on creating an honest and immediate story. Nothing is pre-formed, hypothesized or planned. Rare for an artist of any time. Preparatory sketches and references seem almost necessary in this age of artistic appropriation and

The really beautiful thing about Shantell Martin is that she is so at peace with herself. She notes the concerning reality of many people just not liking themselves. For her, that’s where the hard work comes in. She puts a lot into enjoying, caring and liking herself. And it shows. Both in her person and in her work. She does not pass a day without asking herself if she is being true to herself and if she is on the right path. We ask her about her “work” and she responds with a … of the word work. “People like to talk about the word work. Life, art, work is all the same. I live to become a better individual.” And that is all.

She is somehow both elusive and straightforward with a discussion of her art. She does not give both in its making and in its consideration. Viewing Martin’s work is exceptionally calming. Her work encourages the viewer to follow her visual narrative, and hence her subconscious. Shantell even says “drawing is like meditating.” Her mind is completely clear when she creates art and you can see this in the finished product. You can even see this while she is creating her work. She channels out the chaos around her in order to focus on creating an honest and immediate story. Nothing is pre-formed, hypothesized or planned. Rare for an artist of any time. Preparatory sketches and references seem almost necessary in this age of artistic appropriation and

the really beautiful thing about Shantell Martin, is that she is so at peace with herself. She notes the concerning reality of many people just not liking themselves. For her, that’s where the hard work comes in. She puts a lot into enjoying, caring and liking herself. And it shows. Both in her person and in her work. She does not pass a day without asking herself if she is being true to herself and if she is on the right path. We ask her about her “work” and she responds with a … of the word work. “People like to talk about the word work. Life, art, work is all the same. I live to become a better individual.” And that is all.

On instructions with her art. They don’t need a play by play. They don’t need an explanation. “I’m not telling you where to start with my drawings and I’m not telling you what my drawings mean.” When asked to explain her work or place it she graciously refuses. Instead, she presents the observation that difference divides. As creatives, we may think difference is beautiful, but in the scope of the world difference is what keeps some people above and some people below. As an example, Martin quotes the class system that is so firmly implanted in the UK. You know everything about someone the moment they open their mouth. This system even plays a role in the economics and structure of the country. The US is different as we do not have as old of a class system as the UK, however we still manage to maintain institutional prejudice. Martin is hopeful that in the future these barriers will start to fade, but expects people to hold on to them as long as possible, out of fear. Once this fear is surmounted, then creative expression will be able to flow unbridled from societal restraints.

In conclusion, I will leave you with a few of the most poignant of Martin’s words: “I live for experiences. I live for connections. People want you to label yourself. I don’t have to be who you think I am. I can just simply be me.”

Camille Okhio is Senior Arts writer for By Such and Such.

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"Bats!!!"

By Maude Delice

A staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He’s weak… he’s unsure of himself… he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race. – Bill

In 2012, the readers of Comic Heroes magazine voted for Batman, the alias of billionaire Bruce Wayne, as their top favorite comic hero, Spiderman came in second place and in third Superman. But Comic Heroes editor Jes Bickham said it was “no surprise” that Batman came in at No 1. Created in 1939 by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Batman is, “quite simply, the coolest and most interesting superhero ever created.”

Simon Bisley.

On a cold November evening, while on their way home from the movies, Dr. Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne are mugged and killed by a small time criminal. Their eight-year-old son, Bruce Wayne, witnesses the incident and is forever traumatized by it. From that day on his sole purpose is to avenge his parents’ death by becoming Batman; a vigilante that swears to rid Gotham City of its evils. He travels the world in order to develop his mind and his body for his raison d’être. Bruce Wayne invests his time, his fortune, and every aspect of his life to being Batman, and so Bruce Wayne is the costume.

Javier Gpacheco

He is the image that Batman projects to the world, a clever strategy to protect his secret identity and avert any suspicions. In a city where material gain, lust, media distractions, and petty entertainments are considered priorities Bruce Wayne portrays himself as an over-indulgent, self-absorbed, vacuous womanizing son of privilege and the Gotham City media eats it up; his ravishing good looks and charm help grab their attention just as much as his antics. The celebrity socialite’s favorite past time is attending well-to-do functions with a new exotic beauty in tow every time, encouraging tabloid gossip. And when he declines an invitation, the general assumption is that some model has him wrapped up (although he leads an active romantic life, crime fighting accounts for almost all of his night hours.) In public Wayne pretends to be a heavy drinker, serving intoxicating drinks to guests when in reality he is a strict teetotaler concerned with maintaining top physical fitness and mental acuity. Bruce Wayne invites contempt by publicly playing the fool.

Alan Davis / Jeff Austin

I grew up with a different Bruce Wayne. I was first introduced to the hero in the 90s with The Batman: The Animated Series. That, and Animaniacs, were the best cartoons produced by Warner Bros. The show won four Emmy Awards and was nominated for nine others, receiving praise for its “Dark Deco” artwork, its thematic complexity, and for staying true to the character’s crime fighting origins. It was also Kevin Conroy’s debut as the voice of Batman, since him no one has been able to do a better job. He is the iconic voice of the hero, notable for being the first person to use two distinct voices for Bruce Wayne and Batman.

In the series, Bruce Wayne is treated more seriously. He is a responsible and generous individual, assertive and intelligent, and actively involved in the management of Wayne Enterprises, without jeopardizing his secret identity. For example: in the episode “Eternal Youth”, Bruce is shown angrily ordering one of his directors to cancel a secret deal with a timber company in the Amazon rainforest. In addition, during the episode “Night of the Ninja”, he revealed to reporter Summer Gleeson that he has some martial arts training, as the reporter previously researched that he once lived in Japan, though he later throws a fight with the ninja Kyodai Ken in front of Gleeson to disguise his prowess.1

Although Batman doesn’t have any superpowers, he is a fearless adversary with skills so refined that he can successfully cripple ALL members of the Justice League effortlessly. His obsession drives him to constantly hone and update his mortal skills, which is why he can hold his own and stare down the Man of Steel in their rare disputes. Bruce and Clark might work towards the same end but their means are opposite. Batman’s pragmatism versus Superman’s idealism. Batman’s cynicism versus Superman’s optimism. Batman’s guerilla tactics versus Superman’s frontal assaults. Batman’s manipulations versus Superman’s straightforwardness.1

Rodrigo Diaz

Batman is human, but he is the most dedicated, persistent, and talented human being on the planet.  With genius level intellect, and proficiency in high-tech equipment, he relies on cunning and rationale to defeat his opponents. But strength is a non-negotiable requirement for his mission so he trains his body as hard as an Olympic athlete and is a master acrobat and escapologist. His mind is another matter entirely. Forever scarred by his troubled past, he learns self-discipline, and eastern philosophies in order to deal with the pain. And yet, the angst is not only his fuel but also his insecurity: the constant regret for the loss of his parents, and then the loss of Robin, add that to the continuous corruption that plagues his city, and you realize that this angst is what haunts him.

“Most people become weakened by their pain. Great fighters use it. They become energized.” In Batman Gotham Knight: Working Through The Pain, Bruce Wayne reflects on the lesson he learned from a Fakir, Cassandra. Over several months, she teaches him to minimize his pain, to see it as a “minor annoyance,” to control it. So much so that sleeping on a bed of needles or standing on hot coals without reacting becomes second nature to Bruce. One night several young men harass Cassandra, she takes their blows oblivious. Despite having asked Bruce not to step in, he defeats them using his martial arts skills. An assertive Cassandra asks him to leave, saying that he has learned what he came to learn and comments on how Bruce’s pain was beyond her, or possibly even his, ability to handle, but how it also appeared to be leading him down a path he desired.

  Grona

When he returns from his self-imposed educational exile, he is unable to channel his fury and his first vigilante attempts leave him with a bloody nose and a bruised ego. He meditates and realizes that he needs to play on fear and guilt, the human condition’s greatest weaknesses, in order to dominate his opponents.

“Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot, so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts.” – Bruce Wayne

He adopts the guise of a bat not just as a symbol, but also as a badge of triumph over his own personal demons.

Could Batman really exist? If so, would Batman be considered crazy? And more importantly, why should we care?

“Batman is an ordinary mortal who made himself a superhero…Through discipline and determination and commitment, he made himself into the best. I always thought that meant that I could be anything I wanted to be.” Former President and Editor-in-Chief od DC Comics Jenette Kahn.

“Life is a journey, not a destination and Batman can be used as a guide on how to keep working our way along our own personal paths.”  E. Paul Zehr, Ph.D

Editor Dennis O’Neil has said that “…the most “realistic” of the great superheroes. To be blunt: the guy isn’t very super. He didn’t gain his powers by being lightning-struck, nor bathing in chemicals, nor by dint of being born on another planet, nor by the intervention of extraterrestrials or gods. To paraphrase an old commercial, he got them the old-fashioned way-he earned them…He wasn’t bequeathed those abilities; he sweated for them.”

He represents the pinnacle of human performance and possibilities though the concept of work and progress. This is what embodies the Batman mythology.

The Dying.

“Batman is the idea of human drive and commitment, the answer to boundaries we set on our own performance.” This is what makes Batman the best superhero of all time. His constant battle with life, his process of growth, his transformative effort, things that we can all genuinely relate to. If you want something you have to earn it, you have to work hard for it, you have to deserve it, if you want to change the world, you must first be the change and never be afraid.

For Bruce, it took a great tragedy to inspire this change. Post-traumatic growth is a term that describes the process of becoming stronger and developing new goals and beliefs by making meaning of traumatic experiences. In the real world, it isn’t uncommon for people to turn to social activism: the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving lost her daughter to a drunk driver; John Walsh, the host of the anti-crime TV program “America’s Most Wanted,” had a son abducted and murdered, same goes for most of the bullying campaigns we see today.

“I think that is part of what makes him a compelling character,” Dr. Robin S. Rosenberg “I think like a lot of people who put their lives on the line on a daily basis — firefighters, police or the military — I think there is something captivating to that level of dedication.”

Dustin Nguyen

  But Batman’s willingness to risk his life for others (he refuses to kill anyone and doesn’t ever use a gun) and the means that he goes about in doing it also raises the question: is extreme altruism a disorder?

“Any technique, however worthy or desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it.” – Bruce Lee

In her analysis, Rosenberg  focuses on the things that seem strange about Batman, characteristics that might be read as signs of a psychological disorder. The disorders she lists as most likely candidates are: 1.Dissociative Identity Disorder 2.Depression 3.Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 4.Post-traumatic Stress Disorder 5.Antisocial Personality Disorder

  She addresses the caped bat costume, but sees that more as a uniform, intended to send a particular message to crime victims and criminals and a visual projection of his commitment to his mission.1 Batman’s serious temperament, obsessive behavior, and his sense of guilt and regret over the death of his parents and one of his sidekicks could be seen as signs of depression, and his detachment could be read as a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder. “Emotional numbing is a symptom of PTSD, and it involves a sense of detachment from others, and limited expression of emotion,” she told LiveScience.

However, despite our culture’s tendency to label queer behavior as some psychological problem, these traits are not conclusive signs of a disorder.

“Pathologizing someone is a form of unconsciously taking a mental shortcut when forming an impression of that person,” Rosenberg said.

He dresses up in a bat costume and puts his life on the line night after night, all in the name of justice and for his righteous goal. He’s a billionaire, yet he dedicates his personal wealth to fund his crime-fighting escapades. He has no real personal life—at least none that isn’t somehow connected to his work as Batman. He broods, he can be obsessive, he’s detached and the fact that he witnessed his parents’ murder at a young age leaves him scarred for life. But he perseveres, he grows, he adapts. He knows who he is and he makes no excuses for that, he knows what his purpose in life is, he has no qualms about leaving anything behind in order to dedicate his lifetime to what he wants, who he wants to be, to get what he desires and needs from his life, to live it fully and to reach the very peak of his abilities, to be fearless and as close to perfection as possible. And this is why I Love Batman.

  Batman Year 100, Paul Pope.

Maude Delice is a contributing writer for by such and such.

Batman: Year One Batman: The Long Halloween The Killing Joke The Dark Knight Returns Knightfall Batman: Court of Owls Batman: Death In The Family Batman The Complete History by Les Daniels Becoming Batman: E. Paul Zehr

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"Lost and Found..."

Desert studies for upcoming collaborative project with Jennifer Reifsneider and Baldomero Fernandez.

  Baldomero Fernandez is a contributing photographer for by such and such.

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Micheal Shannon..."

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"Cause I can..."

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"The White Shirt..."

Captured by Adam Custins.

Ivan Noda, Frank and Michal all appear courtesy of the newly formed mens Divison @ IMG Men.

Adam Custins is a contributing photographer for by such and such.

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"Learning How to Rebel: In Her Own Eyes.. Eve Arnold..."

Learning How to Rebel: In Her Own Eyes By Daniel Pettus.

“…The person or persons involved Parading slowly through the sunlit fields Not only as though the danger did not exist But as though the birds were in on the secret.”1

“Self Portrait” Eve Arnold, NYC 1950.

If there were a secret to Eve Arnold’s success she would have already told it. Arnold, the esteemed and historic photographer, succeeded at photography by simply (yet, arduously) dedicating her life to it (1912-2012). Photography wasn’t a dream profession she mulled over, from childhood. Rather, as she is famously quoted as saying: “I came to photography by accident.”2 Using her femininity, as a means by which to provide novel approaches to a man’s profession, Arnold eventually received credit from feminists as being a pioneer. However, early in her career it was the identification of being a “woman photographer” she wished to rebel from. She writes, “I didn’t want to be a ‘woman photographer”3 referring to the title given to her by the editor at Collier (attempting to identify her as something different based entirely on her gender).

Malcolm X

“I wanted to be a photographer who was a woman, with all the world open to my camera. What I wanted was to use my female insights and personality to interpret what I photographed.”4 Arnold’s work is described by Robert Capa as falling, “metaphorically of course, between Marlene Dietrich’s legs and the bitter lives of migratory workers.”5 This in-between took Arnold all across the world, photographing all kinds of people and places (Malcolm X, male strippers in New Jersey, Marilyn Monroe, some of the oldest living men in Russia, the Vatican, harems in Dubai etc.). Summing up Arnold’s life and career, Liz Jobey, a friend of Arnold’s says it best: “she has been unstoppable.”6

Marilyn Monroe

Rebellion came easy for Arnold. Growing up in a poor Russian-Jewish immigrant family in Philadelphia, her mother wanted her daughters married and supported. Arnold, on the other hand, always relished in her independence. Even at the end of her career she remained skeptical regarding technological advances in photography. New technology allowed for an alteration that had more to do with “glitz and packaging” rather than “substance.”7

Anthony Quinn and Anna Karina, 1967.

The instance—the moment of capturing a specific event in order to represent a time in history seemingly had been superseded by a marketable goal. Arnold realized the benefits some technological advances provided, yet she writes: “Paradoxically, I think the photographer should be an amateur at heart—someone who loves the craft.

Then she must have a healthy constitution, a strong stomach, a distinct will, quick reflexes and a sense of adventure, and be willing to take risks.”8

George Lincoln Rockwell (American Nazi Party,) at a Black Muslim Meeting, 1961.

Her time spent photographing Marlene Dietrich exemplifies all of these. Dietrich was not an easy subject, because she knew much about photography and even more so the way in which she wanted to be photographed. After one session photographing Dietrich, Arnold recevied word from their mutual friend Leo Lerman that Dietrich had complained that she had been there all night taking pictures. “He asked why she hadn’t stopped me. She said it had never occurred to her, I had done it with ‘such authority.”9

Dietrich and Ann Warner, 1939.

Arnold’s perspective on photography and the way she took pictures is characteristic of Gilles Deleuze’s perspective on the event. In his book, “The Fold” he writes: “It is a world of captures instead of closures.” Namely, the world has instances of openings that will be infinitely different from one another. Arnold’s photography embodied this philosophy.

South African Hospital, 1973.

She recognized the potentiality the fleeting moments of life contained: photography transformed them in-to something more than mere occurrence. For example, her photography work in South Africa for the Sunday Times, provides the viewer with a particular and distinct reality.

Emirates, 1971

She writes: ”photography and cinematography shared the same aims. To paraphrase existing definitions, they strive to capture and reproduce reality, to enhance the familiar and, by isolating it, transform it into dramatic impact.”1 Existentially, “All I need do is think of people I met and conditions I saw at the time, look at the photographs or think of the worm in the apple in that beautiful Paradise, and the pain is back again.”10

A Patient in a Hospital in Haiti, for the mentally ill, 1954.

This moment is not something that can be taught. Telling of the advice Arnold once received she writes: “I can teach you the steps, but you will have to feel the music.”11 Obtaining such feeling requires diligence and extreme concentration. “The popular notion that the photographer is someone who flits about the world clicking gaily away could not be more wrong.”12 Arnold was not only more than a woman photographer, but also more than merely a photographer in general. Arnold took to heart the advice Robert Capa from the Magnum office gave her colleague Henri Cartier-Bresson when he was having difficulty being accepted as a serious photographer. Capa told Cartier-Bresson: “Stop calling yourself a photojournalist and call yourself a surrealist.”13 Talking about photography Arnold writes: “sometimes the magic works; more often not—but the photographer must continue to try to understand the subject, to get the proportions right, to try to establish not only a personal style, but an empathy with and a sympathy for the subject.”14

Cicely Tyson, 1968. copyright Magnum Photos.

Gene Baro an art critic, wrote the following definition of a photojournalist when preparing a catalogue for Arnold’s China show at the Brooklyn Museum: “…the best photojournalism transcends its subject and gives us images that have a timeless quality, so acute visually that no other explanation is needed finally. The art is in what remains when the occasion has faded.”15 Looking at Arnold’s photographs from China bring Baro’s definition to life. The expressions on children’s faces at a cotton mill nursery, the intimate details shown from a child receiving a permanent wave and the juxtaposition of two extremely different aged women’s turmoil-ed eyes present the viewer with a faded occasion that will now last as long as the photograph. Arnold was a master at illuminating the intimate.

“Permenant Wave”

In the Eve Arnold Handbook, a book representing Arnold’s intimate photographs of hands she writes: “Usually when photographers say ‘just one more’ they mean they will take one more picture for insurance. I find myself saying ‘just one more’ and meaning a picture of the subject’s hands or, sometimes, feet.”16 These images provide the viewer with a “timeless quality,” so rich and expressive of the immanent quality of life itself, to try to describe them with words seems arbitrary.

Isabella Rossellini, 1984.

SOURCES: 1. John Ashbury, Rivers and Mountains. “If the Birds Knew.” (The Ecco Press: New York, 1962), 16. 2. Eve Arnold, Eve Arnold: In Retrospect (Knopf: New York, 1995) 3. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid., 28. 6. Liz Jobey, All About Eve: The Photography of Eve Arnold, Introduction (Te Neus Publishing Company, 1012), 13. 7. Eve Arnold: In Retrospect., 286. 8. Ibid., 288. 9. Ibid., 27 10. Ibid., 151. 11. Ibid., 165. 12. Ibid., 286. 13. Ibid., 113. 14. Ibid., 15. 15. Ibid., 13. 16. Ibid., 16. Eve Arnold Handbook, (New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004), introduction. Magnum Photos coyright.

Daniel Pettus is a contributing writer for by such and such.