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AN ARTIST’S RESPONSE TO...
by
Elizabeth Jackson
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
August 2003
Copyright 2003 Elizabeth Jackson
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY PARK
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90089-1695
This thesis, written by
under the direction o f h thesis committee, and
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accepted by the D irecto r o f Graduate and Professional
Programs, in p a rtia l fulfillm ent o f the requirements fo r the
degree o f
rector
Date .
Thesis\ Qomhiittee
C hair
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Figures iii
ABSTRACT iv
An Artist’s Response To... 1
Artist’s Statement: Elizabeth Jackson 15
If Only... 1 6
Bibliography 50
ii
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Campaign 2000 37
Figure 2: Campaign 2000 38
Figure 3: SHINDAI (The Japanese Art of Pillowfighting) 39
Figure 4: SHINDAI (The Japanese Art of Pillowfighting) 40
Figure 5: EVERY CONVENIENCE ON SUNSET: 2002 41
Figure 6: EVERY CONVENIENCE ON SUNSET: 2002 42
Figure 7: FREE ICE CREAM: July 4, 2002 and September 26,2002 43
Figure 8: FREE ICE CREAM: July 4,2002 and September 26,2002 44
Figure 9: Tempus Vitam Regit (Time Regulates Life) 45
Figure 10: Tempus Vitam Regit (Time Regulates Life) 46
Figure 11: IN LOS ANGELES THEY GROW WILD 47
Figure 12: IN LOS ANGELES THEY GROW WILD 48
Figure 13: IN LOS ANGELES THEY GROW WILD 49
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ABSTRACT
My practice as an artist follows a long tradition of artists who have used satire and
farce to blend together social activism, social documentation, the facilitation of free speech
and the orchestration of spectacle. This paper is a description and discussion of the seven
pieces that I completed while attending the Master of Fine Arts Program Graduate program at
The University of Southern California. Most, if not all of the work, left me with more questions
than answers. These works are entitled, "Campaign 2000,” “Shindai” The Japanese Art of
Pillow Fighting, “Every Convenience on Sunset,” “Free Ice Cream,” “Tempus Vitam Regit”
(time regulates life), “In Los Angeles They Grow Wild,” and “If Only...”
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An Artist’s Response To...
The last two years have been historic, tumultuous, and frightening times. For the first
time since Pearl Harbor, Americans have come under attack on their own soil. While most of
the world has been experiencing tragic acts of terrorism and military intervention on a regular
basis. America and its citizens have remained, until 9/11, unscathed and oblivious to overt
acts of violence by terrorist groups and/or military organizations. With the fall of the Berlin
Wall, the cold war declared over Americans entered a time of unprecedented peace and
prosperity. All that came to a screeching halt as Americans turned on their televisions to watch
the World Trade Center, the ultimate symbol of American prosperity fall into a pile of burning
bodies, rubble and jet fuel. Things changed for Americans in that horrifying moment and it
seems that we have entered an era of endless war and unprecedented show of gross military
might. How, if at all, do these events and events like them shape the life and work of the
artist? I cannot pose the rebus of any one’s experience other than my own, so this paper is an
attempt to refine and define how these events have influenced and shaped my studio practice
as an artist over the last two years.
In the last two years I have created several different bodies of work all of which have
left me with more questions than answers. These pieces are entitled, “Campaign 2000,”
“Shindai” The Japanese Art of Pillow Fighting, “Every Convenience on Sunset,” “Free Ice
Cream,” “Tempus Vitam Regit” (time regulates life), and “In Los Angeles They Grow Wild.”
Most, if not all, of this work provided me with more questions than answers. Below is an
outline of each piece and the questions they have left me with.
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Campaign 2000 is a piece that I will pursue every four years for as long as I am able
to get out in the streets and talk to people. This first body of work was taken in the streets of
San Francisco two weeks prior to the 2000 Presidential Election. I approached the people in
the streets of San Francisco and asked them if they would like to participate in a photographic
poll of the upcoming Presidential election. I asked each participant to hold up a sign with their
choice of candidate on it and then I photographed them as they held up their chosen
candidate (Figures 1-2). I asked each participant to give me their home address so that I
could mail them their photo. My initial motivation for pursuing this campaign 2000 was to see if
any visual similarities existed between what people looked like and whom they voted for. I
was also interested in finding out whether or not people in an American city would make their
private political views public to a complete stranger. As it turned out people were more than
willing to not only reveal their private political views, they were also more than willing to give a
complete stranger their home address so that that they could receive their photo in the mail. In
fact out of 300 photographs only three came back with a wrong address.
This made me wonder about the erosion of the boundaries between public and
private space in America. It also made me think about the fact that in most places in the world
the public statement of political views is a very dangerous and in many cases a death-defying
thing to do.
So this work left me with questions. Has the political process in America become so
watered down that it has no real meaning? Do the private political views of our citizens have
any meaning? Does your vote really count? Do people feel so disconnected from the political
process that they are willing to talk to any stranger on the street just because that person
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seems to be interested and listening? And, have people become so inundated by marketing
tactics that they have become desensitized to having their image recorded and reproduced?
As we enter the early stages of the next Presidential campaign. I have a few more questions.
Will people be as forthcoming with their information and image? Will the events of 9/11
influence voters to come out in higher numbers? And what if any thing does this project have
to do with an art practice?
The Presidential election of 2000 was unlike any election that I have witnessed in that
the results were marred by a miscount in Florida, As far as I am concerned we have a man in
the White House who was not elected by the people. The popular vote of this country did not
place G.W. Bush in the White House. I am left with doubts as to the validity of our present
electoral process. As I mentioned earlier, the popular vote of the American public did not place
G. W. Bush in the White House and, while it is not absolute or in any way scientific, the results
of my photographic poll reflected the same out come. G.W. did not win in my pole either. So
as I reflect on my own question, what if anything does this work have to do with an art
practice? I conclude that this work is an important and necessary investigation and
documentation, which tracks some of the issues that are shaping American culture in the
beginning of the 21s t Century.
The events of 9/11 resulted in the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan by
American military forces. This catastrophic and unnecessary invasion and occupation of a
country already weakened and disabled by years of military intervention prompted me to look
at the issues of power, conflict and aggression. To investigate these issues, I created a piece
called Shindai: The Japanese Art of Pillow Fighting. This work began to take shape when I
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found a book entitled Shindai The Art of Japanese Bed-Fighting written by Tomi Nobunuga, a
Japanese citizen and Mistress of Shindai and Ellen Schumaker an American war bride. The
book was published in 1965. Ellen’s husband was stationed with the US Army of Occupation
in Japan from 1952 to 1953,This is when the two women developed a friendship that resulted
in the publication of their book.
Shindai in Japanese means bed and every thing to do with bed. Therefore Shindai is
also the word used to refer to an ancient Japanese art, bed-fighting or pillow fighting. This
practice is a way for married couples to resolve conflict. The origin of the practice is
embedded in a 1500-year-old myth originating in the Hirumi Province of Japan. According to
the myth, the Hirumi Province was renowned for producing beautiful rugs made from the skins
of the badger. These rugs were highly prized and were traded or sold to surrounding villages
and towns. The men of the village would use their clubs to kill the badgers and the women of
the village would fashion the skins into prized and decorative rugs. Apparently, the men of the
village were extremely demanding bullies who would more often than not turn their clubs on
their women for not working fast enough. Fed up and displeased, with this treatment, the
women of the village called on the god Senju-Kannon to help them. Senju-Kannon instructed
the women to sew up their badger skins and fill them with seaweed. Senju-Kannon then
appeared amongst them as beautiful women with one head and one thousand arms. (Her
image is still prevalent today in many shrines and temples throughout Japan) Each of Senju-
Kannon’s one thousand arms held a stuffed badger skin. Leading the women into the village,
Senju-Kannon attacked the men and made them promise to never use their clubs against the
women of the Hirumi Province again. As a reminder of their promise, a stuffed badger skin
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was hung in the tokonoma, a recessed alcove in Japanese homes reserved for a household’s
most treasured possessions.
By the 1600’s the practice spread to other parts of Japan. It was rumored,
inaccurately, that couples could resolve conflict and achieve marital bliss by fighting with
pillows. The only problem with that rumor was that the traditional pillow in Japan is made from
a wooden block. Not specifying what kind of pillow became problematical in that, couples who
fought with those kind of pillows did not remain couples for very long. In fact this practice
became so wide spread that in 1606 Shogun Hidetada issued a decree that made it illegal for
private persons to own pillows. The law was impossible to enforce and the following year the
law was amended. The new law stated that any one who misused a pillow or used a pillow to
cause harm could be beheaded (Shindai The Art of Japanese Bed-Fighting, pp. 19-21).
Using this myth and the instructions outlined in the book. I began to think of a way to
use this practice to visually question and illustrate conflicts and the current methodologies and
strategies employed by Nation-States to resolve them.
The first thing that I attempted to do was to remove gender from the equation. This
was difficult and I am not altogether convinced that gender could be completely removed as
an aspect of the performance. I constructed an installation that resembled a modern day Tai
Kwon Do studio. While the installation resembled a modern day Tai Kwon Studio, with flags of
participating countries on display, a registration table for participants, documentation of
previous tournaments, and blue mats on the floor. There were aspects of the installation that
would not be found in the Tai Kwon Do Studio. The floor was covered with fresh sod, and the
blue mats were inset in the center of the room to invoke the field of battle. (Figure 3) Wearing
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uniforms with manipulated corporate imagery participants battled within the confined space of
the blue mats, which functioned as a stage. During the opening, viewers were invited to
participate in a series of pillow fights after being instructed in the rules of a Shindai. (Figure 4)
The action inside the gallery was projected onto the outside wall of the gallery in the parking
lot. The fights could be viewed without participating in any way. Much as we viewed the recent
viewed the war in Iraq. This type of pillow fighting is different than the western version in that
to win you must employ strategy not brute strength. The Shindai begins with the ritual slitting
of the pillows by the pillow mistress. The point of the match is to keep as many of your
feathers as possible. The first person to run out of feathers looses the match. Participants may
not strike more than one blow at a time, your blow must be returned before you strike another.
As I watched each match, I realized that it was almost impossible for participants to
stick to the rules of engagement. Again and again, more than one blow at a time was struck
and participants would be stopped and penalized. As I watched and performed my duties as
the pillow mistress, it occurred to me that this is exactly what happens in a war with each side
bludgeoning the other side mercilessly, and then trying to justify its actions. I also began to
look more closely at the myth that generated this practice and realized how it could be
construed as metaphor to illustrate the concept of how to use intimidation to gain power
and/or dominion over another person or country.
The women of the Hirumi Province employed the powers of a God to intimidate the
men who were oppressing them. The tool used by this God was displayed prominently in the
home as a reminder of the women’s newfound power over the men of the village. This tactic
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feels reminiscent of the mass proliferation of nuclear arms used to deter a world wide nuclear
conflict. Is it a coincidence that this book was published in Japan in 1965?
As we enter the 21st Century, the question of a nuclear conflict is not if but when. Our
Senators are about to vote to support the Bush Administration's request to repeal current law
banning the creation of new, low-yield nuclear weapons. "Low-yield" is defined as less than
five kilotons - approximately one-third the size of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The
development of new low-yield weapons will also require nuclear testing, which hasn’t been
done in over a decade. With Shindai, I have attempted through the use of allegory and
metaphor to engage the viewer in a way that will encourage them to examine and consider the
psychology and consequences of armed conflict in the 21s t Century.
“Every Convenience On Sunset” was initially informed by a work of Ed Ruscha’s
entitled “Every Building on Sunset Strip.” Beginning on the eastern most part of Sunset Blvd.
at the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Caesar Chavez where Sunset Blvd. officially begins, I
entered each and every convenience store and asked the person working in the store if I
could make a photograph of them in the location of the store where they felt most comfortable.
For the most part, people wanted to be photographed behind the counter (Figures 5-6). I
continued up Sunset Blvd. entering each and every store with the same request, until I
reached Doheny Blvd. in Beverly Hills the location that most people regard as the end of
Sunset Blvd. proper. I approached this piece with several questions in mind. I was interested
in examining the current stereotype of the people who work in convenience stores. Is it true
that for the most part the people who work in these stores are people of color? Does the
racial profile of people employed in these stores reflect current immigration trends? Can the
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convenience store be looked on as a threshold to the attainment of the American dream? How
will the makeup and look of these stores change as I move west towards the more affluent
sections of Sunset Blvd.? I am not sure that the work can really answer all of these questions.
However I do know from speaking to and making images of the people who work in these
stores, that yes for the most part these workers are immigrants and that these people consider
this job as a way to enter into and place themselves within the American dream. I also am left
with the thought that if these establishments are an indication of immigration patterns, what
will these stores look like 10 or 20 years from now? This work made me question how and in
what direction things in the world are evolving. Have we moved away from the principles of
Colonialism and Imperialism? Or have we merely substituted those terms for Globalisim? One
only needs to look at the bulk of the merchandise that is sold in these stores namely tobacco,
alcohol, and sugar. Weren’t these the same products that promoted a concerted effort and
trade plan on the part of Rhodesia to develop a trade route to enrich the British Empire?
Questions, questions and more questions led me back to the streets to create a work
entitled Free Ice Cream. Free Ice Cream is an exploration and a desire to examine and
analyze current beliefs and definitions of common place terms that are used with amazing
frequency in the press by today’s politicians namely G.W. Bush. Words like freedom,
evildoers, patriot, freedom fighter, democracy, terrorist— with this in mind, I went out into the
streets with an ice cream cart filled with bomb pops (red white and blue popsicles) to ask
people, not politicians, what these words and phrases mean to them (Figure 7). The 11”x17”
signs had the American flag covering the sign with the text running along the bottom. As with
the Campaign 2000, piece participants were asked to hold up a sign of their choice and define
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the word printed on the sign, this time in front of a video camera. In exchange, I gave each
participant a bomb pop and or a sticker with the word they had chosen to define on it (Figure
8). Again, I found that people really wanted to talk even if that meant sharing their views with
a complete stranger. I found that the words printed on the signs had an entirely different
meaning to each and every person that participated. That led me to believe that this work is
really about identity. Within this performance, I am interested to see how people react to these
words and phrases over time. If and when we are the targets of another massive terrorist
attack will people begin to see it G.W.’s way? Do any of these words have a definitive
meaning? Is all language subjective? It is my intention to continue working on this piece by
broadening its scope. I don’t think it’s possible to get a handle on the above questions unless I
visit different locations in America. I am really interested in taking this piece to New York City
to investigate the reactions of New Yorkers. These are the people who were most directly
affected by the events of 9/11 and it would be interesting to see if their definitions differ and in
what way to their counterparts on the West Coast. It is my intention to set up the ice cream
cart in close proximity to the upcoming Republican Convention, which will be held in New York
in several months. As with Campaign 2000, I was surprised at the amount of information
people were willing to share with and have documented by a complete stranger. I am
interested to see if this open and willing response is limited to the West Coast of the United
States. I began working on this piece in July of 2002 and, as I continued to look at the media
and marketing professionals, and the role that they have played in the placement and support
of the current political administration, it occurred to me that sales and marketing have been
responsible in part not only for the rise and fall of political figures but the growth and
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development of Los Angeles the city that I live in. My response and investigation to that
thought was the development of my thesis show entitled Tempus Vitam Regit or (time
regulates life).
Tempus Vitam Regit (time regulates life) is a work that began when a whimsical
image became stuck in my mind. Norman Klein, a former professor of mine, told me a story of
one of the ways that the California land boosters of the 1880’s and 1890’s salted the land
much as promoters had once salted mining claims. Norman told me that fresh oranges were
placed on Joshua Trees that were then photographed. These images were then reproduced
as postcards. The postcards, along with boxes of fresh oranges, were passed out in train
stations, in places like Chicago, in the middle of the winter, along with the story that in “Los
Angeles the oranges grow wild.” I can only imagine the impact that this image and tale had on
those people who received the images and fruit.
With train fares as low as one dollar, because of a price war between competing rail
lines, this image was more than likely the catalyst for many to make the decision to erase their
past and come to Southern California where they could be free to invent and reinvent
themselves. Los Angeles still holds the reputation of being a city where one can come to
forget their past. Today in the world of next day freight from anyplace in the world as well as
instantaneous communication, this obviously manipulated image would have little or no
impact. However in the late 1800’s, this was certainly not the case. Until fairly recently,
oranges were a pretty exotic item. My Mother is from the east coast and she remembers how
scarce oranges were, especially in the winter months. If you received one in your Christmas
stocking you would consider yourself a very, very lucky person indeed.
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I found myself thinking that the dreams and aspirations that people had for Southern
California in the late 1800’s were not very different from the dreams and aspirations of today.
Images of Los Angeles are still being distributed to create desire; and the land Boomers of the
1800’s are really no different than the professionals who market and sell the Los Angeles of
today. To illustrate this concept, I decided to juxtapose two images that would speak about the
past, the present, and the passage of time. I decided to use a Joshua tree and Frank Gehery’s
landmark building the new Disney Concert Hall. I chose the Disney Hall for several reasons,
first and foremost because of the marketing of this building. This building was a recognizable
image of Los Angeles’ culture even before it was built. It took 14 years for this building to
become a reality and, during those years, the image of the completed building was so widely
distributed that the building, although not completed, has attained its place in the social
imaginary of Los Angeles. The second reason for choosing this particular image was because
of its function or lack thereof. The real function of this building is to create and promote an
image of Los Angeles. The image that is being promoted is that Los Angeles is a city that is
cultured, a city that puts the Arts in the forefront of its city planning. A city that can and will
compete with cities like New York and Bilbao that are currently perceived as cultural sites. I
am not completely convinced that this is the case; however, it may be that with the passage of
time this notion that Los Angeles is dedicated to high culture will become a reality, just as the
construction of the orange groves did.
To construct the piece, the Disney Concert Hall was video taped for five minutes on
the half hour for 24 hours. The same format was used for the Joshua tree. The video was
then edited down so that each hour was represented by one minute. A 24-hour day was
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compressed and then represented in 24 minutes. The technology of video was chosen to
mirror the compression of time, literally and metaphorically. Video is compressed and, as we
have all experienced, time itself seems to be compressed. The 15’ high x 30’ long images
were projected directly onto opposing walls, completely covering the walls (Figures 9-10). The
resulting installation is what I refer to as a video sculpture. Viewers interacted with the work as
the shadows they cast mingled with the projected imagery, completing the work. The text that
follows is a critique of this piece by critic and art historian Mark Van Proyen.
The comparison of the two images was stark, clear and direct: acculturated nature
vs. the ascendancy of a new post-911 cultural authority where low culture (Disney)
claims ownership of an oficialized landmark of high culture, officialised is the right
word, as the Gehry building invokes the "Bilbao effect," without going to Bilbao
(does it invoke the elegant suppression of Basque rebellion? maybe).
The building invoked the twin towers by virtue of videographic perspective, and the
stationary camera invoked the trope of surveillance-another symptom of the new
style of psychic management that is our world. The desert image was still-a place
that cowboy Carl would say allows you to "complete a thought." The building was in
almost perpetual motion, although it precluded any kind of "street life" such as
cafes etc. Rather, it was merely a transit point for anonymous souls to pass
through. It occurs to me that an under recognized star in the tableaux was the
streetlight commanding us to stop and go in binary fashion.
2. Any artist has a choice to do one of three things: to play within a system, attack
the system in recognition that success in this area makes you the system (and the
system thrives on this); or run from the system, recognizing that you cant make a
place that has been already made, but you might be able to make a place that has
yet to be made. The desert seems to represent this third notion, but it too is in the
system, as an icon "on the way to Las Vegas" (which is where the art world
represented by the Gehry building is headed), and also a space that is thoroughly
regulated (no camping, no fires, no guns, no dogs etc.). At the same time it is
meditative and soothingly quiet in contrast to the street of a thousand distractions
3. The piece does an excellent job of recognizing that today's artist is a content
' provider for a cultural tourism industry that is part marketing calculus and part
governmental economic stimulus project. The art of the 90s is funny in that the first
part of the decade was all about "identity" while the second part of the decade was
all about technology." Both of these "issues" camouflaged the reality of cultural
tourism as the dominant theme of the art of the 90s, which ended the Cold War
with a macabre hybrid of the worst of capitalism -everything subject to marketing
incantation-and the worst of socialism - endless bureaucracy. People often
complain about commodification as a problem in art, but that is only the surface;
commodification in fact being the outer epiphenomena of something that I all
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'administrativism" which is the instrumental actualization of the mandates of cultural
tourism.
The great thing is that your piece would fit nicely in one of those biennial type
exhibitions that have proliferated around the world, while simultaneously
questioning their real values. In fact, this is the major success of the piece. A chilly
realization comes when scrutiny reveals that the camera angle for the cactus is
much lower than the camera angle for the building-no doubt to make them both
seem similar as ’icons" but the adjustment places the 'man on the street" as being
lower than the "point of view," in turn suggesting the possibility that the piece has
(subconsciously?) internalized the building's politics of elite sequestration even as
it unmasks same. (Mark Van Proyen, 4/03)
Encouraged by this critique, I still felt that the work was missing a third element, an
element that just by its very presence would have forestalled a cheap and easy closure of the
work. The easy read of Tempus Vitam Regit could have been nature versus culture. I was
able to determine later that the third element could and should have been the combination of
the piece which directly followed my thesis show entitled “In Los Angeles They Grow Wild”
with “Tempus Vitam Regit.”
“In Los Angeles They Grow Wild” consisted of three postcards of the Joshua tree
image which was used in “Tempus Vitam Regit,” sunrise, mid-day and evening, these images
were then manipulated by photo shopping oranges on to the branches of the tree (Figure 11).
The images were then displayed in the gallery as postcards that the viewer was encouraged
to take with them. The text “In Los Angeles They Grow Wild” was placed above the postcards
in three-inch orange vinyl letters. In addition to these images in the gallery, there was a
billboard truck with the sunrise image of the manipulated Joshua tree postcard on it, which
was parked outside and was clearly visible from within the gallery. The image on the truck was
15 feet high by 30 feet long. This image was the same size of the projections in “Tempus
Vitam Regit” piece. The truck alternated between driving around the predetermined route,
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which was printed, on the back of the postcards, to sitting in the parking lot of the gallery
(Figures 12-13). This truck is the third element that allows for a more complex read of the
work, “Tempus Vitam Regit” and will be included in the show at the Disney concert hall on
opening night.
What if anything does all of this work have to do with art?, was the question that I
posed at the beginning of this paper. There is a very simple answer. I see this work as a
continuum of a long history of artist’s such as the Actionist’s, the Situationist’s, Dada, Fluxes,
Diego Rivera, Joseph Beuys, Suzanne Lacey and the Gorilla Girls, to name a few. These
artists, like myself, have tried through the use of satire and farce to blend together social
activism, social documentation, the facilitation and exercise of free speech, and the
orchestration of spectacle. I would like to conclude this thesis with my current artist’s
statement. As well as the final piece that I completed while attending the graduate program at
the University of Southern California entitled “If Only.”
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Artist Statement: Elizabeth Jackson
“I’m in my element when I’m a little bit out of this world...because when I'm falling I’m doing
alright. ” Willem de Kooning
We recognize instinctually the innate ability of language to build virtual space through
a narrative text. We talk colloquially of weaving a story. We understand how certain collective
mythologies frame cultural understanding; we exist in a brutally fractured manner. We are
connected to others by webs, not by linear articulations of thought and interpretation of text.
Put simply we live complicated, interconnected lives; the dignity, decadence, utter
despair and glorious hope of a meaningful understanding of misunderstandings is at the crux
of deciphering the inquiry the work attempts to undertake. If the work succeeds in any
manner, the viewer must necessarily remain confused. I am not aiming for clarity. Any attempt
to re-create the appearance of purity could only be considered a false morality. I cannot
answer your questions any more than I; the artist can pose the rebus of your experience. I
only ask that you bear with the work and find a reflection of my own interrogation and panic
This is a struggle between the thought and the ability to express it. The vulnerability of
exposure is uncomfortable. It is me up there; yet, I seek what “it” is. “It” is a continuation of a
process; searching, learning, yearning. But as a fragment, a sliver, I can inflect, wreak havoc
with the whole.
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“If Only...”
It is my contention that the fabric of our society presently operates within the
framework of three basic conditions, which are,
Desire,
Regret,
Fear.
Desire leads to Regret,
Regret leads to Fear,
And that’s where we are right now.
Suspended in a tenuous moment between regret and fear.
The desire to go back to the time of no nukes.
Impossible to confront what will happen when they start to fall.
If only...
If only I could speak freely.
If only we could get rid of G.W.
If only peace was the answer.
If only I had more time.
If only I had made the right choice.
If only I had not done that.
If only they were not so evil.
If only this bombing would stop.
16
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If only he was not a rapist.
If only his skills were better.
If only this interrogation would stop.
If only I could walk again.
If only the bank had not foreclosed.
If only you would not talk to me.
If only failure was a good thing.
If only I was not paralyzed by fear.
If only I could have my way with you.
If only you did not terrify them.
If only this sink was not stopped up.
If only you would go into rehab.
If only you would take the test.
If only you were more interesting.
If only bigger were better.
If only you did not try so hard.
If only I knew what time it was.
If only the plane was on time.
If only you did not have to go.
If only that sound would stop.
If only I had seen it.
If only this wind would stop.
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If only I had a place to sleep.
If only things were different.
If only I was thinner.
If only I was richer.
If only I could help.
If only I had been more patient.
If only my hair would grow.
If only the kids would grow up.
If only she had not died.
If only my mother loved me.
If only I was smarter.
If only I had not gone there.
If only I had done this sooner.
If only I had been there.
If only I had not slipped.
If only I could stop smoking.
If only it would go on sale.
If only they was more blue.
If only I did not feel this way.
If only I had not left with you.
If only you were a little bit older.
If only you could come over.
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If only I could sing.
If only I wasn’t so crazy.
If only I could go back.
If only my boss was not such a dick.
If only I had bigger boobs.
If only I had not walked down that street.
If only it was not so dark.
If only I could hear you.
If only I had better reception.
If only I had not answered the phone.
If only you were not such a pain in the ass.
If only I could read auras.
If only it was not so hot.
If only it was warmer.
If only I could be in Hawaii.
If only I was married.
If only we could get a divorce.
If only this food were better.
If only I had ordered something else.
If only they would pick up after themselves.
If only people weren’t so selfish.
If only I had a new car.
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If only I could have another piece.
If only this would work.
If only this was easier.
If only I could finish.
If only this room was a little bigger.
If only we had a view.
If only we could find a house to buy.
If only all these people would go away.
If only my son would call.
If only this bush was not here.
If only there was no bad blood between us.
If only peyote was legal.
If only we had some more beer.
If only T. V was better.
If only the weather was nice.
If only they liked me.
If only I could remember.
If only I could find a parking place.
If only I could find a bathroom.
If only it was notraining.
If only I had not had an abortion.
If only he had not died.
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If only the moon was made of green cheese.
If only this coffee was hotter.
If only I had not bit my tongue.
If only I would get more exercise.
If only I was done.
If only wishes were horses.
If only I could get fired.
If only I could go to Saline Valley.
If only I had a 4x5 camera.
If only I did not have to ask.
If only we didn’t have to move.
If only I had some cold water.
If only I could see.
If only this seat was more comfortable.
If only my feet didn’t hurt.
If only I could fly.
If only I had gotten here earlier.
If only I could save the world.
If only the air was clean.
If only this house was bigger.
If only the food would come.
If only I could go to them.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only it was over.
If only people were nice.
If only communism could work.
If only I could sit down.
If only the trouble did not start.
If only I had listened.
If only I had gone home.
If only I had not taken that acid.
If only I did not get back on.
If only they had been quicker.
If only they did not rule with an iron fist.
If only the dog did not die.
If only the noise would stop.
If only they would listen.
If only the vacuum would work.
If only I had a RV.
If only I had that big donkey dick bud.
If only they would stop and think.
If only you would clean up your room.
If only those people would stay away.
If only this mountain was not melting.
If only it wasn’t so windy.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only I didn’t say that.
If only she did not commit suicide.
If only this was the winning ticket.
If only I could have sushi.
If only I didn't eat so much.
If only they would not talk so loud.
If only they had some sense.
If only superman was real.
If only pigs could fly.
If only my computer had not crashed.
If only I could do this myself.
If only this dress would fit.
If only there was more.
If only I could have coffee.
If only I could fuck him.
If only I could pray.
If only life was not so short.
If only I knew what I know now.
If only I could get it just right.
If only they weren't such big liars.
If only the grass would grow.
If only I could go swimming.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only they would listen.
If only my prince would come.
If only I had told the truth.
If only I had used a condom.
If only that mosquito had not bit me.
If only I had not bit my tongue.
If only it was a different color.
If only they had my size.
If only I had noticed.
If only I knew what it felt like.
If only it wasn’t so dark.
If only I was in Italy.
If only the fish here were bigger.
If only they had not run out.
If only I had some help.
If only it wasn’t so salty.
If only I spoke Spanish.
If only I could make them understand.
If only I had not missed the boat.
If only my car had not broken.
If only I had not lost my temper.
If only they won the war.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
f only Tibet could be free,
f only I could go on a cruise,
f only I could remember,
f only my ship would come in.
fonly it wasn’t so high,
f only we had met each other sooner,
f only they could get food for their kids,
f only things were much better,
f only that bee had not bit me.
f only I had bought the right size,
f only they could have waited,
f only they would send me some news,
f only they would pay me more money,
f only I could catch up.
f only I could do what she did.
f only this wasn’t the first time,
f only I was not in jail,
f only she would come home,
f only I lived in New York,
fonly I had been invited,
f only I hadn’t got caught,
f only you were not so slow.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only you would stop doing that.
If only it wasn’t so late.
If only I could finish this piece.
If only the reviews were better.
If only I was an astronaut.
If only you would rinse out the tub.
If only I had not ridden that horse.
If only I lived there.
If only I made more.
If only I had not burned the dinner.
If only I had remembered.
If only they would stay in the yard.
If only this land had some water.
If only this bill was not so high.
If only I could afford it.
If only the sound was better.
If only they sat in the back.
If only there was a cure.
If only I could run to the store.
If only I had taken better care of myself.
If only I gave them a piece of my mind.
If only they would not look at us like that.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only I had left.
If only they were softer.
If only I owned my own business
If only it was just around the bend.
If only I could find it.
If only you were my sister.
If only I had an identical twin.
If only I had a horse.
If only my eyes were better.
If only they did not make a mistake.
If only that could have saved them.
If only we had caught him sooner.
If only I could die.
If only the floor would open and swallow me up.
If only this movie would end.
If only they would stop talking that way.
If only the radio would come in.
If only I had cable.
If only this telephone would work.
If only I was not so hungry.
If only I wasn’t so mad.
If only they would behave.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only you were a boy.
If only I was not always late.
If only I did not see right through you.
If only that wall was a little higher.
If only they could see what their doing.
If only Nana was still alive.
If only I had your phone number.
If only they would call.
If only they would stop that.
If only this were a better neighborhood.
If only I could get started.
If only I could show you how.
If only schools were better.
If only she wasn't so mean.
If only that damn phone would stop ringing.
If only this bed were bigger.
If only we were not lost.
If only I had not bought the gun.
If only we could just write a check.
If only I could fix it.
If only my team would win.
If only I could jump from here.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only I could stop.
If only this was the answer.
If only they would buy more.
If only it was made of cotton.
If only I could go back.
If only I could reach it.
If only I was not out of cigarettes.
If only I had mine own darkroom.
If only it wasn’t too late.
If only they did not move in next door.
If only I could find my dog.
If only I had thought of that.
If only I had checked the mail.
If only my printer would work.
If only I did not have to go.
If only it did not smell so bad.
If only I did not have my period.
If only that house was not there.
If only there was some ice.
If only I had stopped at the store.
If only it was not so far away.
If only I still lived there.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only we got along.
If only I could work there.
If only you would stay.
If only this car was faster.
If only I had more room.
If only the plans weren’t so complicated.
If only I could talk to you.
If only I had not taken this job.
If only I wasn’t so shy.
If only they would speak up.
If only I could travel through time.
If only I could speak Spanish.
If only I had written it down.
If only I could show you the way.
If only you would come.
If only it wasn’t so spicy.
If only I did not have to explain.
If only there more troops.
If only they didn’t show up.
If only they would follow directions.
If only I was not so tired.
If only I could sleep.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only I was not so thirsty.
If only the people who deserved it suffered.
If only I was not so seasick.
If only I had not broken my back.
If only I had x-ray vision.
If only I wasn’t so scared.
If only I could see into the future.
If only there was more wood for the fire.
If only I had come here much sooner.
If only I had turned to the left.
If only the waves were bigger.
If only I had not seen that.
If only words could be taken back.
If only I had more faith in you.
If only I could do it that way.
If only you had told me sooner.
If only you would trust me.
If only you were not so smart.
If only I could understand why.
If only I could get this paper done.
If only they would stop following me.
If only this came out better.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only I could cook.
If only it was not so important.
If only you could be on time.
If only we were not related.
If only I could remember his name.
If only things were fair.
If only this vacation was longer.
If only that dog would stop barking.
If only the baby would sleep.
If only I wasn’t here.
If only someone else would do it.
If only this was better.
If only we had gone there.
If only this trail was not so steep.
If only it would snow.
If only I did not have to go there.
If only this wasn’t so difficult.
If only you would answer the phone.
If only this water was warmer.
If only you had not said that.
If only I had gotten back to you more quickly.
If only we had gone back.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only I was smarter.
If only I had started sooner.
If only we kept on looking.
If only this shoe would fit.
If only I did it right the first time.
If only I could break up with you.
If only the fire would start.
If only they would stop asking questions.
If only I could find it.
If only my heart would stop pounding.
If only I had passed.
If only you would give me the real story.
If only this would stick.
If only you could see the light.
If only I could go there again.
If only it had not broken.
If only you had not touched it.
If only I had checked one more time.
If only I would win the lotto.
If only I had been a better mother.
If only we could take the flag back.
If only they did not have to suffer.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only that shelf was lower.
If only the price would come down.
If only you played with me more.
If only I could win.
If only I had the answer.
If only that picture came out.
If only I did not park there.
If only it would sell.
If only this pen would work.
If only I had not lost my phone.
If only things were fair.
If only it lasted just a little bit longer.
If only I had cooked it longer.
If only you were not so curt with me.
If only there was someone to take us there.
If only our leaders were honest.
If only I could get it straight.
If only I knew how to tango.
If only I knew what the truth was.
If only I could find that card.
If only everyone had a good doctor.
If only this box was bigger.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only it tasted good.
If only I had a bowl of rice.
If only I had a studio.
If only I could work faster.
If only I could remember.
If only I got there first.
If only I didn't drink so much.
If only it was a sure thing.
If only I could run faster.
If only I had not passed out.
If only I could get tenure.
If only I had not missed.
If only I did not miss you so much.
If only it did not fall down.
If only we were not out of bread.
If only I did not have to go to church with you.
If only I had learned how to play the piano.
If only my vote counted.
If only we had not run out so soon.
If only I did not have to walk up this hill.
If only this wall was not so high.
If only I could escape.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
If only the death penalty would go away.
If only we were the only ones.
If only there was not so much traffic.
If only you would shut up.
If only...
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Figure 1: Campaign 2000
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Figure 2: Campaign 2000
= w s * press
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Figure 3: SHINDAi (The Japanese Art of Pillow Fighting)
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Figure 4: SHINDAI (The Japanese Art of Pillow Fighting)
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission
Figure 5: EVERY CONVENIENCE ON SUNSET: 2002
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Figure 6: EVERY CONVENIENCE ON SUNSET: 2002
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Figure 7: FREE* ICE CREAM: July 4, 2002 and September 26,2002
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Figure 8: FREE ICE CREAM: July 4, 2002 and September 26,2002
IEE K.L ( Rl.AM
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Figure 9: Tempus Vitam Regit (Time Regulates Life)
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Figure 10: Tempus Vitam Regit (Time Regulates Life)
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Figure 11: IN LOS ANGELES THEY GROW WILD
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Figure 12: IN LOS ANGELES THEY GROW WILD
48
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Figure 13: IN LOS ANGELES THEY GROW WILD
49
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Bibliography
McWilliams, Carey. Southern California: an Island on the Land
Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, 1973 (1946)
Schumaker, Ellen and Nobunuga, Tomi. Shindai The art of Japanese Bed-Fighting
London: Wolfe Publishing Limited,
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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Identity re-constructed

Asset Metadata

Creator Jackson, Elizabeth (author)

Core Title An artist's response to...

School Graduate School

Degree Master of Fine Arts

Degree Program Fine Arts

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag anthropology, cultural,Fine Arts,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Digitized by ProQuest (provenance)

Advisor Flick, Robbert (committee chair), [illegible] (committee member), Paull, Julia (committee member)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c16-308344

Unique identifier UC11337557

Identifier 1417926.pdf (filename),usctheses-c16-308344 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier 1417926.pdf

Dmrecord 308344

Document Type Thesis

Rights Jackson, Elizabeth

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA