Deciding on which photographs to discuss was easy this week…
George Georgiou’s Fault
Lines/Turkey/East/West. The artist deals with issues very similar to those
in my own photographic series yet interestingly he is discussing urban
development in Turkey rather than in the US. The artist considers the struggle in
Turkey between the creation of a westernized urban landscape with their
cultural heritage. I really loved this quote from the artist - “Cites are
becoming carbon copies of each other.” That is exactly how I have responded to
the neighborhoods here is Orlando. It is interesting that around the world
westernization and capitalism infiltrates building projects which serve to
intensify a sense of alienation and sameness in sprawling cities. The artist
emphasizes this by contrasting the repetitive infrastructure with the natural
landscape surrounding it. Buildings appear eerily alike, following a box grid
of rows. The stifling layout is emphasized by the billowing hillsides or
greenery. Alongside the landscape images, Georgiou takes photographs of people
with an interest in the affect westernization has on them. These people appear
cold, unwelcoming, unapproachable and guarded. In many ways my response from
the people is similar to my response from the architecture. Both have been
greatly influenced by the west and seem unfriendly and unwelcoming.
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