"Why isn't the white space utilized?", "This must of been an expensive print", indicating the single bazaar brown animal (on page 20). Then I turn the page, two more, but this time completely empty space with the single numerical 2. I thought to myself, what in the heck is the point of all this?
I really want to expand on my experience just in the first beginning pages, because I feel this will help build the foundation to the overall tone of the book. I began to read the content, naturally, and I think I am not alone here, I was confused. I was wondering who she was referring to, was she Claudia Rankine referring to herself, was she referring to her character, was she referring to me as the writer and my experience defends on race, and my perception of the narrative depending on my race? I joked to myself and said the book itself was racicts. The perception of the talked about character or character(s) were depicted based on whether or not I was white, or if I was black. To demonstrate, I read each poetic narrative in the first beginning pages from two standpoints, one, being myself, and two, pretending I was black, and my understanding of the text varied depending on my perception as a reader. So, in saying that, perhaps it's art, perhaps her confusing narratives and the uncertainty that lies with you during your read is matter of personification. To help guide you through the all the dimensions of race and the lives of one vs. the lives of anther. For example, she used words like: "you", and "your" meaning me, myself, but yet the text itself sounded as though this was happening to someone of color because of the racist actions, so you wonder, exactly what kind of person should I imagine here? Or do I imagine myself?
In my opinion, I thought 'Citizen' was clever, the book itself resembled Contemporary Art. The spacing, the use of white space, the poetic narratives meant to engage the audience, and the distorted pictures. I think that it plays a big part in relating the content to protest. For those who don't know, quite a lot of contemporary artists use their work in relation to a subject they wish to protest. However, instead of using their words, they use their emotions to replicate what they feel into their projects in which the viewer can receive by analyzing their technique and the character. I feel the same is happening for citizen by the art isn't just the book itself, but the content within the book. Some of the visual elements I am talking about are on page(s): 20, 23, 33, 36, 87, 110. These are all distorted images, images that are meant for bigger meaning.
Claudia Rankine even during the 1st paragraph on page 23, does she reference a contemporary artist Hennessy Youngman "whose Art Thoughtz take the form of tutorials on YouTube, educates viewers on contemporary art issues... in one of his many videos, he addresses how to become a successful black artist, wryly suggesting black people's anger is market-able,"(pg.23). She talks about how his work is meant to expose "expectations for blackness as well as to underscore the difficulty inherent in any attempt by black artists to metabolize real rage," (Rankine). She even uses Serena's tennis story to represent another form of protest when Dane Caroline Wozniacki distorts her body with towels to imitate Serena posing as the world's best tennis player, in her desirable 'white' image.
I loved the book. I loved it because finally, Claudia Rankine uses protest not only through Contemporary pieces, but through her written work as well. I think that makes it even more powerful, and that's what separates her protest from just poetry. It engages the audience on a new level, because it engages with them without herself actually being with the reader. In some pieces of contemporary art, the artist will not necessarily have an art 'piece' but an engaging exhibit where the artist themselves, or volunteers will literally engage one on one with the viewer. I think the book resembles that kind of tactic, by introducing the reader to reflective poetic pieces and then distorted visual art.
I loved the book. I loved it because finally, Claudia Rankine uses protest not only through Contemporary pieces, but through her written work as well. I think that makes it even more powerful, and that's what separates her protest from just poetry. It engages the audience on a new level, because it engages with them without herself actually being with the reader. In some pieces of contemporary art, the artist will not necessarily have an art 'piece' but an engaging exhibit where the artist themselves, or volunteers will literally engage one on one with the viewer. I think the book resembles that kind of tactic, by introducing the reader to reflective poetic pieces and then distorted visual art.
I agree with you on Citizen being a contemporary art piece. I think that its purpose is exactly what you described, and that's the idea of identity. The reader is thrown into multiple identities throughout the book, which reaches to any audience that reads the book. Because of this, agree that it anchored the reader to the message of the book. Your claim that the book is contemporary art is one I agree with, though I am not an expert on contemporary art. I think there is something to be said about Rankine's use of white space and visuals. It adds an aura of mystery and passion to the work that words printed blandly on a piece of paper just doesn't accomplish the same way. The emotion is there, and the credibility of the author is very present through her knowledge of the situations she mentioned, as well as through her ability to anchor herself to the readers. Your post was insightful and helped me put into words many of the ideas I had been feeling about the book when I initially read it.
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