America: A Discourse

This series of erasures emerged from a book filled with speeches from Swami Vivekananda, a highly revered Bengali monk who brought Hinduism into the international spotlight and was a key figure in bringing yogic philosophies to the Western world. When I begin an erasure, it’s difficult to know which direction the pre-existing text will lead me. In this book, words started jumping from the page for attention almost immediately. “Fake News” was at the top of headlines, ironically shouted by Trump who has continuously been called out for his own assertion of “alternative facts”. As a former editor for television news who worked diligently to assemble politically neutral video clips, this felt like a personal attack. On the other hand, there are certainly news outlets that propagandize whichever side of the spectrum they fall on. Opinion is inserted into newscasts, headlines are misleading, and some outlets are clearly trying to persuade rather than inform. This series of work became a way to explore those themes. As it progressed over several months, more themes emerged and I found myself using erasures as a way to maneuver through my experience as an American expat during the Trump administration; feeling more and more disconnected from my native country each time I caught up with a daily dose of American press coverage, as I could no longer watch regular White House briefings in full; a casualty in the deconstruction of transparency. While the source text limited my ability to tap into certain issues or express my ideas fully, it was uncanny how so much of the political discourse from an Indian guru more than a century ago, in the midst of British colonialism, could still remain relevant today. Images paired with the erasures are part of an ongoing series photographed around rural roads from my childhood in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio. (statement forthcoming) -- UPDATE: In February 2020 Trump addressed the people of India during a "Namaste Trump" event in Gujarat. Ironically, he (or rather his speechwriters) also looked to Vivekananda as inspiration in his talk, quoting the following paragraph while botching the Swami's name (drawing out Veevay-Kamon-Nunnnd) with ignorance and disrespect while chuckling after doing so. “The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him - that moment I am free.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-acZbYbfkTA