About conflict : VZL (i)

Mauricio J. Silva
Jul 24, 2017 · 5 min read

Sometimes we forget that art is expression, is the pure act of communicating senses in various ways. As we set ourselves to comprehend the exact thought process behind a piece in display, barely noticing that ceiling lights, other voices and our stomachs are set to be quite different from the initial creative process, gives us an idea on the reason academic dialogues tend to fail when retrieving perspective when integrating sources. Right there, in front of a mildly -encrypted- message, we are already behind our own barriers of interaction around the actual experience that we are looking at. This situation has been usual when dealing with common standards of curating workpieces, they just mumble a rant to our consciousness that only exceptions catch, and it now depends on this second instance to spread the now newer intention.

We tend to diminish the effect of our dispositions when looking at new codes of meaning.

At other times, we struggle to find any sort of clue based on a two-hundred-word header by the corner, most of them containing historic, resource related information that only works for giving an idea of the context that first imprisoned the moment, but in any way showing the motives that create the actual chills on our spines. The gap between gallery and exhibition is now wider, as of borders of exposure are continuously expanding its reach — Nowadays, the world is thriving with portals for apprehending a few instants of global matters and its synergy as a compound of news… And it has come of public knowledge the state of conflict around Venezuela’s government.

Located north of South America, Venezuela, a relatively small country that might pass unnoticed for most of the western, but that has the distinctive trait of sitting on the vastest crude oil reserves on Earth, has been a case of intellectual debate on colleges… Even getting the word from Noam Chomsky, stating its interest on the systems that were developing. Since 2000’s, under the rule of the socialist leader Hugo Chavez, alongside Castro’s Cuban propaganda agenda, openly opposed to US establishment, the country has been transforming a liberal progressive democracy into a communist militaristic state.

Chaos, protests and riots aren’t rare around here, normally corruption and violence taking part in the stereotypical script for this area. The breakdown in politics, economy and the social schemes were rebuilt into new irregular shapes, but they have left its scars on individual identity. As of this year, following the official denial of a constitutional procedure for a presidential referendum against Nicolas Maduro, Chavez’s successor, the opposition leaders and the civilian society started a prolonged uprising — Even evoking an article from the founding chart where they call for citizen disobedience.

It’s of interest to enrich crossed dialogues between peers with the latest examples of human endeavor, to support the best outcome on dealing with commercial pieces from abroad.

In a turmoiled environment, only worsened by the imposition of an unapproved Constituent Assembly in May, brought by the heads of Chavez era, the reshuffle of order has made its way on people cohesion. I will list a few of example to consider around artistic matter, and how the impact of more than a four month of conflict is a transformation of our way conceding reality:

Protests front line and shield formation (Caraota Digital: EFE / Miguel Gutiérrez)
  1. Shields and the “Criollo” phalanx: When I got to see that people were dragging their own self-defense equipment to the protest, it immediately came to my mind a sort of wearable barrier against harming projectiles: a shield (riot controlling weapons are proven to be used for deadly purposes). As battles became more recurrent, there they were, only carried by the few in front lines, facing the pro-Chavez National Guard, arranging the proper items to stand the field they were supposed confront. But lately, there was something contrasting. At first sight, you might not tell but there they are: Personalization on the life-preserving item we bring to the first life. There were several of them, different marks that composed its own meaning to the one that had engraved them. Religious deities, ideological characters and new funding ideas covered the units of the called “Resistance”.
Wuillly Arteaga faces the “whale” riot water gun truck. (Caraota Digital: AFP PHOTO / FEDERICO PARRA)
  1. The violinist of freedom: I’m taking the word from the modern tale of Joshua Bell and it’s 3.5-million-dollar instrument that resembles the invaluable depiction of virtue of the human capacity over esthetic standards. In this case, Wuilly Arteaga, an orchestra player from Caracas, whose face, by the way, was recently damaged by a tear gas bomb, has livened up the protests in times where bullets and shells fly in between people. The will that makes this young artist to continue playing notes in such situation, configures a modern stage of epic meanings.
#TeatroEnResistencia: A proposal to adjust programs to national circumstances (Flyer/Centro Cultural Chacao, 2017)
  1. Adapting themes and media to the setting: From the described social prospective and on, where open conflict is driving everyone’s schedule, each of the cultural business has faced the challenge to keep offering a program to a public whose attention is mainly focused on the news rather than expanding one’s mindset. Adaptation in message and customs is a major difficulty when broadcasting initiatives in uneasy atmospheres.
Lisu Vega’s designs collection “Resistencia” in her workshop on Miami, FL. (Caraota Digital: AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISE)
  1. The validation of mainstream: And as soon this graceful show of pure artistic manifestation is being conceptualized, then our vulgar display of humane consumption instinct kicks in. Recent as a month ago, the national fashion industry representatives have taken the emblematic shirt-around-head tear gas protection method as a convention for “empathizing the social context though catharsis and healing”. It’s definite that this young country is flourishing on connotations even when the strife hasn’t ceased, the example of Lisu Vega layout on portraying actor’s precarious values, shows the creative livestream and the most common vices of diffusing.

Mauricio J. Silva

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interlocución transmedia

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