House Well Worn

There is nothing wrong with this picture, nor the man in the picture. It took me a while, actually, to figure out what bothered me about this add so much. I assumed at first that my money-poor student heart was aching after an apartment of my own with swanky windows and shiny hardwood. I finally realized, however, that instead of being attracted to what this man had, I actually wanted nothing to do with him or his bright, spotless apartment. What was so off-putting was the complete absence of this man's life in his apartment. Where were the stories, the relationships, the history, evidence of interactions with and connections to the world? Where was the inevitable dirt that rides in on the shoes and under the fingernails of a house's vibrant characters?

Tired of waiting for our hero to venture out into the world, I brought the world in to him. I filled his sanitary, sterile, static hideout with songs, conversations, voices, smiles, earth, growth, and life. Now seated at a table full of food and companions, he may hate me for my invasive impertinence, but at least he will have to encounter the world to kick it out.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, [Advertisement for Anderson Windows and Doors], October 2007.

Grace

Peace not Pieces

I did a double take as I looked at this picture - Kids having fun swimming, and splashing in brown murky water... uh and a bombed out building for a backdrop?! "That's wrong" my brother commented as he picked up the picture, I nodded in complete agreement. This is what peace looks like in the Karrada district in Baghdad- using these horrible memory-ridden empty bomb holes for fun? What message is this giving to kids? Where is the hope when your playground is a graveyard for fallen victims and dangerous structures?

Using images from outside, scenic backdrops and natural materials. I constructed a more idyllic swimming hole for these kids to play. The crumbling building gave way to a rocky mountain range, and concrete ground to a sandy beach. Now they can be kids, without the pressure to face adult responsibilities too soon, or the negative images and memories from the past seeping into their subconscious. Give them room to be free! fly a kite, to be entertained by native birds and animals, to use their imagination for life, not dwelling on death. The alternative energy windmills in the back are signs of progression and awareness of conservation for the natural world- things that these children will lack as they reach adulthood without the appreciation for nature. The one thing that does show hope is their energy and smiles, by fostering these
children's needs their future and the worlds future may start progressing towards peace.

Source: Newsweek, [This is 'Peace.' Kids Swim in Bomb Crater], 28 July 2008. Photo by Wathiq Khuzaie, Getty Images.

-Kyle