rip army of one.

last week our friend amy forwarded us a post from brooklyn street art that was a bummer.  jef campion, known among lovers of street art as army of one, had died.  well, this was a case of the good dying young.  i never met him in person, but we had discourse a few times when he commented on this blog (he was one of this blog's few followers,) and he was a private inspiration to me.

jef tried to ignite political action through art.  i don't know if he really hoped to spark a pacifists revolution, but from what he had to say in response to posts here it's certain he wished for one.

perhaps his overwrought language, his manifesto... was a sign of unbalance.  perhaps it was part of an art persona, his jc2 army of one character. and perhaps it was meant be taken with a degree of humor.  i suspect a little of each.

all i know is in a cynical world his was an urgent unashamed plea for peace. to this end his iconic image, the imploring "grenade boy," modified from a diane arbus photo, appeared wherever the army travelled, from coast to coast in this land, and beyond.

i loved his work, and his message.  an exciting contrast to the usual jaded urban pessimism. tender in the generally tough street art milieu.

but jc2 was a very tough guy.  a new york city firefighter, in his fifties, he was  a ground zero responder in the aftermath of of the 9/11 attacks... they profoundly affected him.  being himself no stranger to ptsd, abuse, addiction and recovery, jef devoted his life to protecting others, and in his spare time he volunteered for children's charities.

this post is about the army's message, i'll have more on his art, and monikers, in future.

rip jc2.  i wish a thousand armys could rise to take your place, but i know you can never be duplicated, even by one.

collective memory in bryant park.

bryant park 9/11/2011.  an interactive project by sheryl oring

a friend, john, was a member of a typing pool present in bryant park to hear and record opinions and observations of the public on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attack.  many people participated and seemed to find it satisfying and therapeutic.  emotion was shown.  those who stopped to talk included a half naked woman in a bow tie and painted on mustache, and actress mary steenburgen.  also, more than a few who had lost people in the twin towers.  my own observation was not very eloquent (though heartfelt!) nor, as one can see, was the typist very highly skilled(!) -(just teasing, typist)- but that's all part of the art, i was told.  i thought it was great!

new yorker coverage here. 

9/11- previous years- ground zero and flight 93

many of those who came to protest the proposed mosque last year were wearing american flag attire.  this man had the flag and the declaration of independence on his shirt.

he couldn't have worn a shirt with the u s constitution on it though, because the first amendment guarantees freedom of worship!

osama bin laden

osama bin laden is dead.

1:30 am 9/12/10. greene st. soho

flight 93 memorial.

the makeshift memorial at shanksville pennsylvania. taken a few years ago.

scenes from ground zero yesterday.

ground zero 9/11/2010

old glory

annapolis,maryland- once capitol of the united states. we grew up across the street from this house.

brooklyn . snapshot was taken in late spring after a walk over the manhattan bridge.

ground zero, former site of the world trade towers, their absence reflected in the in the windows of the millennium hilton.
washington dc january 20th 2009. 2 million people streaming toward the capitol for the inauguration of the 44th president.

aftermath of an iraq war protest march. new york city

site of the crash of flight 93 on september 11 2001. taken about 3 years ago in pennsylvania. a makeshift memorial had been erected by those who cared, with little official involvement,

washington dc. veterans of several wars and generations protested the iraq war on its fifth anniversary. those in the distance were members of iraq veterans against the war. they had climbed the facade of the national archives and were reading their charges through a megaphone as hundreds of police arrived, seemingly uncertain what to do. the national archives houses the original copy of the united states constitution, and as the protest took place bus loads of tourists from all over america were arriving to view it. some arguments broke out as many of the tourists expressed support for the war. the upside down flag is a signal of distress recognized by the u s code of laws, and by the military. it has frequently been used in protests across the political spectrum, by war protesters and tea partiers alike.
dumpster, harlem.