Baba Short Film (Final Project)

Instead of the original idea to produce a short documentary on cycling in Jersey City, I decided to shift my focus to another topic. The current project will still be in form of a video but will intersect different topics to create comprehensive connections between different types of socially engaged topics. The course of the video will be taken through POV shots on a go pro with possible inclusion of phone camera footage and collages of other media footage. Through this adventure themed video, I will make parallels between art pieces I have been working on through the semester to the inspirations and concerns of these pieces that I have recently come to experience in my everyday activities. Since I am an active commuter on my bike, it made sense to essentially record a bike ride that will overlay a plethora of experiences that are analogous to each other.

After a prolonged amount of time, I have finally decided to create a project entering the discourse about Immigration. For the course of the semester, I have dedicated most of my time learning new techniques and applying my skills to explore the relationship I have with my father, and how he has adapted to different environments throughout his life. My short film combines my bike ride footage which also features my artwork with an interview of my dad, his journey's are paralleled with my short bike ride from Bayonne to Jersey City, two places my family has inhabited for years.

This is a pot I made in my ceramics class, it includes a poem written by my father that I will place below. There are also ostrich eggs that continue all around, ostrich eggs are a sign of protection as they will never leave they're eggs until they hatch. In Coptic Orthodox Churches, there is one hanging at the alter, to symbolize Gods omnipresence as well as a reminder that he is all watching over. I paired this poem to create a tension between what the ostrich eggs symbolize and this profound presence of death. 

Where are you death and why are they afraid of you.

You, death, rest for a cancer patient.

You, death, are for poor and poor.

You, death is a comfort to whoever lost his wife or lost her husband.

You, death is a comfort to whoever lost his wife or lost her husband.

You, death, are a comfort to myself.

You death is a comfort to a family who can't live without being told.

You, death rest for Ashland

You, death, comfort famine.

You, death, rest from the horrors of disasters.

You death, rest from the noise of the worlds.

You death, rest from conscience.

You, death, rest from the noise of the world. 

You death is a relief from insulting others.

You, death, rest for every tired.

You, death, who moved us from an arrogant, arrogant, arrogant world.

You,death, is a comfort of intolerance.

You, death, have betrayed other. 

You, death are a comfort killing.

You, death, are a comfort from carrying a weapon.

You, death, the rest of the living.

You, death, rest from the fear of tomorrow.

You death rest of afflictions.

You, death, rest of the hypocrites.

You, death, comfort from demons.

You, death, rest from the injustice of presidents and kings.

You, death break from bread lines.

You, death rest of the stench.

You, death, rest from the farewell of love ones.

You death, mercey from God.

You, death, who takes us to God, where there is eternal rest

Why are they afraid of you?

by Karam Boules

Baba

This is a photograph I took on a 35 mm film camera of my father in his auto shop. I wanted to show my father in his work space: car garages, gas stations and auto shops have been a natural landscape for me ever since I was a kid visiting my father a work. I have taken another role of film following my father around through his everyday activities, discovering little deli shops where he goes that are also run by immigrants along with hanging out with some of his friends who have their own stories. 

Through my film, I wanted to focus on my fathers story of himself as young man in Egypt and his memories immigrating to the United States.  Many times I have listened to other deeply moving immigrant stories but never from my own family. I've asked my father before about his immigration story, however he never really told me all the details. As viewers will hear about his journey for the first time, it was also my first time getting a glimpse of what it was like to come to the U.S from Egypt.My interest in my fathers story stems from my identity in America along with his and how our family dynamic and relationships revolve around those identities.

This painting is the last piece to the series of work, because it is uncompleted I did not include it in the video. Once I finish it, the painting will be another addition to my short film.

Post 3 (Sorry for the late post)

In my project I am addressing the issue of gun violence and social media such as, “fake News. Gun violence is a major issue in our society today. Many lives have been loss due to a bullet and trying to find a solution is segregating our community. There are two sides on this issue, one side people believe that the solution is more guns and on the other side, they believe that particular guns should be banned along with stricter regulations. This separation is not allowing us to come to a solution. The sources we get our information from such as the news and social media adds to the fire. Depending on what news channel you watch only keeps you on one side of the spectrum. These news channels only cater to their viewers and doesn’t present information about the opposing side. 

I believe that the only way we can actually see change in our community is when we all keep an open mind. We as a society need to stop being closed minded because we will never progress. On this issue of gun violence, the only way we can come to a solution is if both sides have one person to represent them and have the two sit together and come up with a solution that cater both sides. I truly believe this is possible and that is what I am trying to present in my project. A way for two opposing sides to voice their opinions and attempt to work out a solution. There is one thing both sides have in common and it is to feel safe at home. 

In Joyce Yu-Jean Lee's State of the DysUnion, she combines visual arts and activism to address the issue of fake news and alternative facts in today’s society. With Trump being president, there is a lot of talk about news being “fake”. Any news channels that criticizes the president of the United States is deemed fake. This creates a problem being as society we would not know what information is true or not and creates a social segregation. Personally, I don’t like that Donald Trump is the head of our country. The president of the United States shouldn’t be fueled with racism and bigotry. A man like this shouldn’t represent one of the most diverse countries in the world. The way Joyce Yu-Jean Lee’s exhibit relates to my project is that “fake news” is the reason why we can’t come to a solution on gun violence. These news channels are feeding people information that gives them more of a reason that their opposing side is wrong. As a keep repeating, this is not the way an issue is solved. 

Yu-Jean Lee's State of DysUnion

“Tactical Media is situational, ephemeral and self-terminating. It encourages the use of any media that will engage a particular socio-political context in order to create molecular interventions and semiotic shocks that contribute to the negation of the rising intensity of authoritarian culture.” (Interventionist Chapter 4)

“The main reason for using these techniques is that they put people at ease. Rather than telling people exactly what I think, the art experience becomes a platform for a dialogue, even if it’s solely an internal dialogue.” (Interventionist Chapter 4)

The next artist I want to talk about is Daniel Ruiz. His work at the 2018 BFA Thesis exhibition addresses the violent nature of humans. He states that the violent nature is inherited and is instilled throughout the children for generations. In this work he is interested in why young men are taught to view, accept and practice violence under the guise of liberty and justice. This series focuses on how a man can pull a trigger without thought. In order for this to be possible the human in the crosshairs need to be dehumanized. This dehumanization is represented by the targets in the series. Each target is containing geometric shapes and symbols that represent real human emotions and institutions. The silhouette is separated into three parts and the person behind the gun dehumanizes the target. He used training aids that were designed for piece as a reference for his work. Ruiz states that if we achieve a less violent society we must consider our views on violence by, what the limits of our own use of force are and if there is any humanity in violence. 

Daniel Ruiz's Reflexive Series

Daniel Ruiz's Business Card

Reflexive Fire

The Great Flood

ICRC2

ND

Woman

ICRC

The rapper Kendrick Lamar addresses the issue of gun violence in his song XXX. In the song reveals all the aspects of gun violence. The song is broken up into two parts. Kendrick is talking to the black community in the first half and the white community in the second. 
Verse one:
-Kendrick represents the mindset of young black males growing up in the hood. (Porverty stricken and crime infested) 
-He addresses gun violence in the hood. He describes a man who becomes reckless and would break the law on murder to avenge the death of his son. Any person who do anything to keep the people they love safe. 
Verse 2:
- Kendrick informs the listener that the son was murdered because he couldn't pay his debts. 
-The father goes out for vengeance. The death of one person will result in the death of another. 
-The father would kill the person without any remorse. 

-Kendrick addresses that the police that was suppose to protect them isn't doing so but doing the opposite. He refers to police brutality.
-The only means of protection is by having a gun of their own, to not only protect themselves but the people they love as well.   
Verse 3:
-Kendrick talks to the white community. The tone of the song is completely different and does not curse once. 
-He mentions how our country resorts to violence to solve foreign conflicts in return for profit. 
-He then talks about how the people who have all the money, basically corporate businesses is the reason why the community is poverty stricken. Violence is the result of poverty. 

This song reflects on the issue of gun violence in a different way. The reason why the gun violence is so high is because of poverty. It's basically a huge domino effect. 
Poverty- Gang violence- Police Brutality- Trust issues 

People don't feel safe anymore and needs a gun to feel safe. If we help out these poverty stricken communities and give police the proper training. The gun violence in America will slowly decrease. We need to work together to restore trust in America. 

“Knowing the system by which capitalism shapes us and exploits our cultural efforts provides tools necessary for the production of alternatives.”             (Seeing Power Nato Thompson)

Our country revolves around money. Any action that the government takes, money plays a huge roll. The biggest reason why the government can't do anything about the issue of guns is because the officials in office are receiving money from the National Rifle Association. If they were to go against their source of income they would lose money. An example would be Marco Rubio. He couldn't say no to receiving money from the NRA. The NRA is trying to manipulate the community by making their supporters believe its about their right to bare arms. But, thats not the case. The NRA makes millions off the guns being sold and any form of regulation or bans would put a dent in their profits. 

Sources:

http://www.joyceyujeanlee.com/dysunion

https://home.nra.org/ 

https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-xxx-lyrics

FINAL PROJECT: "MY SISTER, MY HERO"

My project relates to the topics of feminism and gender equality. The main purpose of this project is to present the idea that females are just as equal as males, if not superior. This all coming from a male himself who believes the female gender is indeed the superior gender. My project is a comic illustration that tells the story of my sister on her being a woman (underdog) and her journey towards joining the military with her experiences of completing basic training. As well as a few skits introducing my mother and how much of an impact she had in our lives (my original reason for believing females are the superior gender) as being the main parent who raised us. Included in the comic are few skits of my father and him being a bad parent and representing the weakness of the male gender. The effects of patriarchy over takes a few situations in the comic as well. You will see how much of a development the belief of equality between a woman and a man evolves as the comic goes on.


We live in a world where men are seen as the dominant alpha male and over power women who are to be known as weak and nowhere near a males level. This assumption is a conceptual issue that anti-feminist (mainly men) and certain individuals believe to be true. With this project, I plan on changing this assumption of these certain individuals and prove to them that females are just as important and equal to a male. I will speak upon my life experiences and how I came to this belief throughout the skits of the comic.

                             

The photo above represents a moment in my life where my baby sister was born and I did not want her because she was not a boy. The moral behind this is that even at a young age boys are seen to believe that they are better than girls. It is not their faults, for sometimes it depends on how the parents raise them. It is hard to believe but it can be said to be a natural instinct as well as just a phase depending on the person. As I grew older I began to value the world and my sisters for what they truly were, so eventually I grew out of that phase. There are certain individuals who do not pass this phase as kids and as they adult it seems to become worse. Because of this we have anti-feminist and men who do not believe that women live up to their level and see them as weak.

 


When my sister announced to our family that should would be leaving for the military, it was full of pure un-equality between a man and a woman and a total amount of disbelief. Every single uncle, aunt, cousin and even my self at one point did not think she was capable of completing this task because she was a woman. Everyone thought of the army to be a 'male's job'. In the latin culture, women are raised to be basically be house wives to care, clean and cook for their husband and kids. Men are taught to protect and bring in the money for their wife and kids. Because of this assumption everyone automatically believed she was making a terrible decision.

I was selfish and naive until the actual day came and my sister was officially leaving for basic training. I honestly did not show affection to her decision until the day she left. I felt like a total jerk because of it but she realized that I truly loved her because I broke down in tears and told her to not leave. I was scared for her and could not believe she was about to be gone for about 2 1/2 months. Because I am a male, I tend not to show as much emotions like women do. This can be seen as a sign of patriarchy. Patriarchy is the single more life-threatening social disease assaulting the male body and spirit in our nation. 

Deep down I knew she was leaving but I did not want to accept it because I knew my emotions would get the best of me and I did not want that to happen. The one thing that made me feel better about the situation was seeing the determination in my sisters eyes of her knowing she would complete this journey. 

The skits above are from stories that my sister Perla told me about her experience in boot camp through the letters she sent and when I saw her during the graduation. Words cannot explain the difficulties that were experienced by her, but it is indeed an accomplishment that everyone will look upon her and see her not just equal to a regular male, but superior because joining the army is no joke! In the military gender is meaningless. Men and women are to complete the same tasks no matter if one is stronger or more athletic than the other. They are treated as equal human beings in an environment were survival and teamwork is the main objective. If man in the military ever saw a woman as less then themselves, their assumption automatically changed once the process of basic training began.

It is crazy how such a dramatic experience in my sister's life is what changed the mentalities of so many individuals and family members who only saw her a young girl who could barley fend for herself. She is not seen as the hero of our family and everyone who doubted her is extremely proud of  what she accomplishment. The amounts calls and messaged she received on the day of her graduation were endless. All the people that doubted the abilities of a woman before have now reawaken their beliefs because of what my sister did.

The issues of feminism and gender equality may never fully be solved because there will always be certain individuals who have their reasons to not accept the equality of a woman and a man, however;  if more women like my sister for example strive for a better tomorrow and accomplish goals in their lives that take a lot of guts and dedication, these certain individuals will begin to see these actions taking place and eventually women will earn the respect of all people. Women are extremely important in this world. Without them no one would even exist. So to all the females out there, I salute your for your intelligence, determination and of course beauty. Just keep fighting because one day you just might all become be the alpha fe(male). 

                                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVaKWH57GnY&t=14s

The military is figured to be known as a "man's job" by many individuals, but more women are enlisting in the military for every armed force out there by the day. A situation that involves gender equality is the salary/pay between a man and a woman. Yes on average a man receives more annually pay than a women for certain reasons, but in the military like stated before gender has no meaning. Every individuals is paid equally for the work completed, the only way a solider gets paid more than the other is due to rank and experience.

Statistics Chart as of July 27, 2017

Women Active Duty Military Statistics	Number	Percent of Branch
Total number of women serving in the military	214,098	14.6 %
Army	76,694	13.6 %
Marine Corps	13,677	6.8 %
Navy	53,385	16.4 %
Air Force	63,552	19.1 %
Coast Guard	6,790	15.7 %
Women Reserve Military Statistics	Number	Percent of Branch
Total number of women in the reserves	118,781	19.5 %
Total number of women in the National Guard	470,851	15.5 %

Work Cited

Castillo, Andrea. “The Problems with 'Patriarchy' – The Ümlaut.” The Ümlaut, The Ümlaut, 16 Apr. 2013, theumlaut.com/the-problems-with-patriarchy-9b8a52f9c5d7.

Contemporary Women's Issues (NJCU Database)

EBSCOhost (NJCU Database)

“Gender Equality.” United Nations Population Fund, www.unfpa.org/gender-equality.

Hooks, Bell. Understanding Patriarchy. Louisville Anarchist Federation Federation, 2010.

Infobase (NJCU Database)

“The Five Main Issues Facing Modern Feminism.” New Statesman, www.newstatesman.com/v-spot/2013/05/five-main-issues-facing-modern-feminism.

“Women in the Military Statistics.” Statistic Brain, 24 Sept. 2017, www.statisticbrain.com/women-in-the-military-statistics/.