Art Project

Juggling on nothing and the humble allegations, now godlike intrinsicly, this ecstatic leading stuntman ostentatiously navigates. If you had no idea what that sentence just said, it's okay. It wasn't meant to mean anything, the first letter of each word spells the name of a fantastic contemporary artist whose work has lately been of interest. The photography, projects and artist books of Jonathan Gitelson have caught my eye, and in homage to him, I've followed the old saying that imitation is the highest form of flattery.

First, let's talk Git. His website is called “TheGit” so I figure it's alright that he may be referred to as that. It must be nice to have a title, like The Big Lebowski (all capital letters). Graduating with a degree in literature and photography Columbia College Chicago in 1997, Git has collections and artist books permanently installed in museums all over America and even Europe. The Git has done installation pieces, web art, public art, using many different mediums. His preferred medium is photography and paper products. The Git has also used objects such as clothes in his projects, trash cans or other everyday objects. Git never creates his own medium or piece, he only rearranged, replaces or angles what already exists to make his art. Most all his pieces involve other people, and most importantly, human reactions and interactions with each other and their environments.

The artist books made by the Git are all about either words or humans. Both of these subjects involve interactions and communications with other people and our surroundings, which the Git likes to observe. The purpose of his art, it would seem, is to point out the mundane and everyday interactions and passing by of people and objects we do everyday that we don't always notice. The Git might not always watch the people's interactions with objects, but sometimes the objects themselves. One of his artist books called The Ballad of Carl Wilson does nothing but document a day in the life of a homeless man he ran into and bothered to talk to. Everyday people everywhere see grungy looking bums sitting on benches with worn out shoes, but the Git is the one who asks and finds out why the guy can't afford to buy a new pair of kicks.

Not everything the Git does is entirely honest documentation, some projects are most creative and imaginative, such as writing imaginary adds for careers he wishes he could have. Some of the jobs were rock star, art director, movie star, etc. By using ideas such as that, The Git is also employing a use of interactions that people wish they could have.

The Git also has many a project reflecting on his interaction with places and traveling, this fascination is reinforced with several installation pieces that constitute as a place that people will see, remember, and identify as a place where they saw art. His installations work with words mainly, another form of communication between an artist and a spectator that just results in another reaction that completes the work of art.

I did not originally plan on doing a piece in the mode of The Git. Originally I had planned on working on graffiti like Shepherd Fairey, but as I was brainstorming on a bench right outside the back door of my dorm, I realized I love people watching too much. Watching how different people approached the door, which person would step up to open the door for everyone else, it was fascinating. What was even more interesting was how many people had either forgot their key cards, or were trying to break into my dorm. Many people tried sneaking in through the back door of Russell Hall and slip by our security to no avail, the lock remained firm and could not be pried open. So I watched. And eventually I helped a couple in, but not after watching them awhile. So I decided to abandon my idea of graffiti and poster spreading, and instead watch and wait for something to happen right where I was. I saw a nook in the wall, a small hole where a brick was missing where I could watch the door perfectly.

That is how I came to crouch behind a wall with a hole in it with my camera, taking picture after picture of everyone who tried to break in. The back door was fascinating as it drew in interesting characters, some had to be saved by residents, some gave up and left, some left for the front door, some simply disappeared.

My knees hurt after awhile. I was not caught once, but I was deathly afraid that someone was going to come up along the side of the building to get to the backdoor and see me staring through a hoe in the wall at whatever there was to see, camera in hand. I tried different angles and perspectives to see deeper or more shallow into the nook of the brick wall, zooming in and out slowly. I found that a pleasing looking panel could be made by slowly zooming in on a crook till the details of them fiddling with the door's handle could be seen. So I created my scene, slowly creeping up in on and spying on two people who were also creeping and sneaking.

I discovered the only difference between us was our audience. Their ill intent was to break in, but it was my ill intent to eavesdrop and spy on them, perhaps even tattletale. However, their audience was me, or perhaps a person inside watching them or glancing down for a second out a window, or even a residence watching and waiting for them to let them in. My audience would be spectators for art, I wanted to show my audience how even perfectly good people try to break in sometime. I wanted my audience to be able to see what they look like when they're trying to be sneaky when all they are is normal people trying to get into a building they aren't allowed in. So with the help of The Git's thoughts and perspectives, I took a page out of his book, observing this one scene for a prolonged period of time. A few hours had passed by the time I had all the photos I wanted.

I chose only one particularly pushy break-in-couple to present, and I felt my results were satisfactory. This project gave me insight into the life of a spy, a sneaking, slinky, shady photographer. I was clever, I was not caught. I am proud of my documentation and I am proud of my newfound ability to pry into the small moments when nice people turn into crooks. I spied on the common man turning into a slithy man. And you know what? I loved it.