Rachel's Piece, critiqued by Sarah

Rachel’s piece is an intaglio that depicts a large Time Warner Cable billboard that spans the length of the image. The billboard sits behind a parking lot, with shrubs growing around the supporting posts. The billboard is printed using color. The rest of the image is black and white. Behind the billboard there appears to be train tracks, but it’s hard to tell. Wires hang above and in front of the billboard and stretch off of the image. The location of the billboard is unclear. It doesn’t appear that there are any buildings behind the board, but perhaps an electrical unit of some sort. This makes me sense that it is in an industrial area, or somewhere that is not yet completely developed. I’m reminded of the signs they put up in neighborhoods that are still being developed, giving the neighborhood a name, and letting us know that its coming, and will be a desirable place to live once finished.

The billboard is advertising for Time Warner Cable. Spread across the right side it reads: “NOW MORE FREE HD!” and on the left side it features some selected channels that you would find on cable. I am trying to place the reason behind creating an intaglio piece that features this billboard as its main content. It suggests to me that Rachel is commenting on the content of the billboard. Why is it we need MORE FREE HD? And last I checked, cable actually isn’t free at all. I start to question things, such as how many channels are on cable TV. I don’t have cable, so I’m not sure. I do know that on average most Americans spend the majority of their time in front of a TV screen, or computer screen, or cell phone screen. This immense interaction with electronics seems absurd to me. The personal interactions we have are becoming less and less. We are now always one step removed from reality. We text instead of call, call instead of meet face to face. We use email instead of hand writing a letter, and we use TV as a distraction from real communication all together.

Another aspect of this piece seems to be questioning advertising and media. Our society is nearly completely controlled by the media, the clothes we wear, the things we buy, the products we consume, are all directly influenced by the media, even if we don’t realize it. Even the topics we find important enough to talk about with our friends and family are the result of the media. There have been studies that show that people don’t even realize when they are looking at billboards any more, as if their prevalence is just part of the landscape. Yet we absorb the content without even realizing it. I remember when My parents moved to a new neighborhood and we were trying to connect to the cable. When I learned that Time Warner was not available in the neighborhood, but that we would have to subscribe to a company I was not familiar with at the time, I’ll admit I was disappointed. As if this other company would not be as good because I had not heard of them before. I didn’t even realize it at the time, but I was basing this opinion on the fact that I knew what Time Warner was, but didn’t know this other company. I think the majority of Americans do this all the time. We buy lucky charms vs. the generic marshmallow cereal because we are familiar with the brand; we are psychologically controlled by this, and who is behind it? The media and advertising.

There is a lot to ponder in this image conceptually and intellectually. To me it speaks to the fact of becoming aware of what is around you and what you are feeding into. I actually know where this billboard is located, however I never really realized it was there until it was pointed out to me through this piece. The image of the billboard is so large and bold that it demands your attention and awareness, and removing it from its normal location and placing it within a work of art further emphasizes this idea.

I still have some questions about choice of subject matter, and more specifically Rachel’s view on these topics. I think this piece shows beautiful technique. It creates a space that pulls the viewer in and invites mental participation.