2 things challenge-Self portrait.

Another theraputic piling session:) A4 visual diary page.
The 2 things challenge this week is Self/Portrait so I decided to do a piling/collage that represented me, using elements from the things that have most captured my heart and mind at this point.
The interesting light quality is from my shaddow falling onto the page which I didn't set up intentionally but kept intentionally once I realised how appropriate it was that my shaddow should be cast on my own self portrait...they are my eyes too. Hope that's not too freaky! lol
If you want to enter this weeks challenge you have until Sunday or Monday if your in my part of the world to get yours done. Any medium and any style welcome. http://2thingsphotochallenge.blogspot.com/

Thankyou to everyone who responded to the post below. It seemed to outrage everyone and no one sat on the fence...as far as I have been able to find it is a genuine story and it's quite scary to think things like this do happen. Neda alerted me to another artist who wishes to use a human being dying in an exhibition in order to illustrated the beauty of death. I kid you not. They havn't done it but it makes me wonder what sort of lines can and will be crossed in the name of art! I don't wish to depress anyone either so I won't go on and don't click the link if you don't really want to know the story...
Another scary happening although not on the same sort of scale (just different) is the discovery Neda made when she came across her art for sale on photobucket by someone who was totally breeching copyright laws. There was no permission given for the sale of these works, the images belong to Neda and there was not intention of giving the proceeds to Neda so be warned...it can happen and it does! There's also a petition online againts a law change that will see artist's have no protection at all from other people using there art if it's deemed to be an 'orphaned work' even if that person who acquires it is blatantly ripping you off and making money off your work! Oh, and scarily this would include the use of your own family photos. Scary? Yes!! Sign the petiton here. As with the dog story the strength is in the numbers of people willing to take a stand and be heard.

Again, I wish you all the very best and a fabulous weekend:)

Is it ART?

Firstly I want to make it clear that despite my blogs name, this particular piece of 'art' is not by me. This is a photo of an installation art work created by Guillermo Vargas Habacuc. This is a real dog so I also want to warn anyone who searches the net to verify this story that the pictures arn't pretty.

The story goes like this...
In the 2007, the 'artist' Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, took a dog from the street, he tied him to a rope in an art gallery, starving him to death.For several days, the 'artist' and the visitors of the exhibition have watched emotionless the shameful 'masterpiece' based on the dog's agony, until eventually he died.

The artist was trying to make a point. He said that every day animals die through neglect and that in the country he exhibited in it's common to see dogs such as this one dying in the street. Yet people walk by and do nothing. What makes it different if the dog is taken from the street and put into an art gallery instead? From what I have read the artist wasn't trying to gloryify the death of the dog, he was trying to bring attention to the hypocrisy that exists and to the plight of dogs such as this one.
I for one like art that brings attention to issues of importance and maybe all of the publicity generated from such a stunt will actually result in less people simply walking by. That dosn't mean I agree with what he did, but then I wouldn't walk by a starving dog either. Maybe he could have made the same point with photographs of the dog instead of using a real dog? Maybe we would be less offended if he had used a dog that was already dead and had it preserved through taxidermy? Or maybe if we (people in general) hadn't been so shocked by the use of a real dog we would have kept walking? The use of a real dog has certainly bought attention to the subject whether we agree with the method or not.
The artist has been invited to repeat this installation work and there's a petition out to stop it going ahead.
The following is part of an email I was sent...
" the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008. "

If you feel that this should be stopped then please sign the petition Maybe you just want to donate pet food to your local animal shelter or give a home to a dog? Follow your heart and do what ever it is your moved to do (or not do.)
If you want to verify the story just Google ..Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, you'll find plenty of opinions and photos.

On that rather somber note I wish you all a happy and peaceful day. I hope it's filled with love and light:)