A few nights ago, I was watching ‘In Restless Dreams’, the Paul Simon documentary, and the songs ‘America’ and ‘American Tune’ kept playing in my consciousness.
America premiered in 1968 while American Tune was first released in 1973. Both paint a country that has lost its way and forgotten the promises to its people.
In 1958, Robert Frank’s The Americans was published, much to the disdain of ‘real’ Americans who decried the pessimism depicted by Frank, a new immigrant who seemed not to really understand what it really means to be American.
That was then.
Fast forward, many decades later, another ‘alien’, albeit one with extraordinary talent, has come to look for America.
Enter Mark Power, a well-known British photographer who is/was hoping to compare and contrast the USA he has ‘encountered’ via mass media (note not even social media yet) and what he saw for himself.
Now America, what would you like him to photograph?
To begin with, the three simple words — Good, Morning and America — are all synonymous with hope.
“Good morning, America” (note no exclamation marks)
“This is Mark Power.”
“Another bad day has begun.”
Another town devastated by the recent hurricane (insert year) remains uninhabitable, unrepaired.
Another uncaring American is already on the green, concentrating on the hole that stands 10 feet 3 inches away. Do not disturb, she needs to nail this.
Meanwhile, a ‘warm’ and familiar face appears on a billboard in an otherwise frosty scene with a very simple message to honk if you want him as your leader.
Not too far away, miles of barbed wire lined the never-ending daunting wall, waiting to greet the hungry.
But wait.
These days, America, and Americans, through the discerning lens of Power, are more likely to warm to the words:
“Don’t give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”.
“Send these, the homeless, far away”
Sorry folks, Emma Lazarus’s original words no longer resonate.
Power’s images from his series of five books are centred around ironies.
Make no mistake, it is Power’s intention and design for you to be disturbed by the dichotomy. On one hand — your right to hope; on the other — the reality’s right to disappoint.
To begin with, the three simple words — Good, Morning and America — are all synonymous with hope.
Basically — a new dawn has broken, forget about yesterday. What can we look forward to this morning?
Make no mistake, it is Power’s intention and design for you to be disturbed by the dichotomy. On one hand — your right to hope; on the other — the reality’s right to disappoint.
By carefully sandwiching hope and hopelessness in his sequencing, he creates tense dialogues.
You are supposed to recognise and question those conflicts. In fact, Power would probably feel better if you are upset by his constant reminders that “USA, you are no longer cool”.
In fact, I am not sure Power wants to hear any answer other than those he has already decided to accept.
At the end of volume 4, he writes:
“Magnum buddies Alec, Greg, Matt and Peter all found time in their busy schedules to look through a much larger edit than you see here, offering opinions from an American perspective on which pictures they felt worked, or didn’t.
(Gentlemen, you might remember I reserved the right to ignore your advice and sometimes, here and there, I’ve done exactly that.)”
Note: Power doesn’t even/necessarily listen to his equals. The rest of you minions, save your opinions.
Of course, as an artist, Power is entitled to his rights to express his views, regardless how one-sided they may be.
In fact, who wants to listen to a balanced debate these days?
I had bought all four volumes and is fully intending on adding the fifth to complete the big picture.
That should tell you something.
Now what could that something be?
Perhaps I don’t understand fully and believe that in time to come, I might revisit his images to remind myself, “Oh, that’s what he is/was trying to say.”
More likely than not, I live in hope that when the project wraps with the fifth volume, Power would be kind enough to share. in words, how he really feels.
Sometimes, images alone are just not good enough for my soul.
