I do enjoy The Annoyed Librarian from time to time, and so should you. AL nailed a very specific sentiment (and totally trashed “memes”) that I often wish to convey to some folks…

GET A LIFE OUTSIDE THE LIBRARY

Bravo, AL. But - and I must mention this - Twitter rules. Join us!

Fast Forward: LA to NY in 4 minutes. [via]

(more…)

“I had an abortion” t-shirt followup? “I was raped.” [via]

A random case of artists advocating censorship: San Francisco closes Adel Abdessemed’s “Don’t Trust Me” exhibition.

The exhibit featured looped videos of animals being killed by a hammer blow to the head. Abdessemed shot the videos himself in rural Mexico.

Is it too on-the-nose to say, “duh, this video would get shut down in San Francisco?” The article’s author puts the exhibit’s closure in great perspective:

I think his work fails as art by its literalness alone, its moral muzziness aside, but people in San Francisco’s smoke-free restaurants may debate the matter over their steaks and lamb chops for some time.

Check out this 10 minute presentation by Nick Bertozzi, creator of graphic novel The Salon, and Charles Brownstein, executive director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (sd&if is totally thrilled to find out that such an organization actually exists),  on why a Georgia law that prohibits the free distribution of “obscene materials” (aka comic books) to minors might actually be unconstitutional.

We snagged the video from this great GalleyCat article. I bet you didn’t know that comic books and graphic novels were among the fastest growing acquisitions for a lot of libraries these days, huh? Look for Ben rejoicing in the comments.

NSFW concerns: The video contains some fleeting images of a cartoon Pablo Picasso painting in the nude and a half-naked model. And we do mean fleeting.

More on the censorship of Wafaa Bilal’s Virtual Jihadi at Art Threat.

Dear Readers -

I would like to take a moment to comment on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s suspension of artist Wafaa Bilal’s interactive exhibition Virtual Jihadi.

The exhibit takes the form of a video game where Bilal, himself, is cast in the role of a suicide bomber working to hunt down President Bush in war-torn Iraq. The game is actually a hacked version of an Al-Qaeda online game, which itself is a reversal of the popular American game “Quest for Saddam.”

The entire concept raises many provocative questions regarding participation and cultural sensitization in a time of war. How have we, as Americans, through participatory media (online, or in the form of video games) shaped our own perceptions of Iraqis or the war? Who do we “become,” as participants in Bilal’s exhibit or its predecessors? What are we to learn from being asked to engage in such virtual experiences as this? Regardless of the answers, it is intellectual freedom that allows the artist to explore these concepts from a place that may, at times, be too visceral or challenging for some.

We at sd&if support Bilal’s history of provocative work and condemn RPI’s censorship of his exhibit. Yes, his work pushes boundaries and challenges socially-accepted standards. However, it should not be made inaccessible for those curious minds that approach such art earnestly and willingly, hoping to gain some insight into our shared human experience—an experience which, we forget, is all too fleeting. The travesties of war have no problem reminding us of that fact.

Please take a moment to visit Wafaa Bilal’s website and offer your support.

Sincerely,

Tony Hoffmann

Founder/Administrator

Tang Wei, star of Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution, has been declared a “non-person” by China’s state censor.

The fuss comes as a result of some sexually explicit scenes in Lee’s new film. Here’s the kicker: Lee had already cut the scenes from the version shown on the Chinese mainland, but they’ve censored her anyway.

“Censored” seems like too light a word. I mean, according to the Chinese government…she no longer exists. Scary stuff.

There is just too much stuff to have fun with today…

Lock-step with the general consensus of men the world over, Japan’s Supreme Court rules that male genitalia can be art.

Nevermind that the article is titled “Fleshing It Out,” let’s turn our attention to this quote:

Woodblock prints from the 17th century, called shunga, depict penises the size of battering-rams.

Inspired by this article, sd&if encourages everyone to raise the bar this weekend. So go forth, dear readers, and may “battering-rams” be your mantra.

Strictly No Photography: photo-sharing for pictures taken where you are not allowed to take them. [via]

Rock. On.