I discovered a new (to me at least) magazine yesterday. Good is sort of a social commentary mag that had a few interesting articles and profiles. One that particularly grabbed my attention was a profile of Hasan Elahi, an art professor who started tracking and documenting his whereabouts after he was questioned in a 9/11 investigation.
"Since the winter of 2002, Hasan Elahi has documented every urinal he’s used. He’s photographed every plate of noodles he’s eaten. His every movement, in fact, has been tracked through a GPS device in his cell phone and posted online. This is not blog-fuelled solipsism, nor a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder. His careful documentation of the mundane details of his life is all part of an ongoing art project called “Tracking Transience: The Orwell Project,” which Elahi developed when he discovered that after 9/11 the FBI had taken a keen interest in his life. "
It is a short, but interesting read. Whether Elahi is truly worried that he must continuously prove his innocence or if he is simply giving the middle finger to the forever haunting Big Brother, his story speaks volumes.
"Since the winter of 2002, Hasan Elahi has documented every urinal he’s used. He’s photographed every plate of noodles he’s eaten. His every movement, in fact, has been tracked through a GPS device in his cell phone and posted online. This is not blog-fuelled solipsism, nor a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder. His careful documentation of the mundane details of his life is all part of an ongoing art project called “Tracking Transience: The Orwell Project,” which Elahi developed when he discovered that after 9/11 the FBI had taken a keen interest in his life. "
It is a short, but interesting read. Whether Elahi is truly worried that he must continuously prove his innocence or if he is simply giving the middle finger to the forever haunting Big Brother, his story speaks volumes.
5 comments:
well, he's a red-head, and momma always said "red-heads is of the Devil!" and if we let devils just run around free, then the terrorists have already won.
seriousy, that's a pretty cool project, but I found the web site un-navigable. too much style/not enough substance. I was also hoping for more commentary or something about the process and his experience with the different states and their agencies... maybe it's buried in there somewhere and I haven't found it yet.
honestly, i haven't even made it to his site/project yet
Whoa Bryan! At first I thought I was on the wrong blog. I have a blog and have posted. You do a great job with yours. I like the extra detail you provide for your readers. Larry King move over, Bryan H Has Arrived!
Take a look at my blog when you have a chance. http://lkcommunity.blogspot.com/
Lynda
Better watch it Hailey, keep appearing "sympathetic" to the Muslim cause and they might start watching you. After all, you do have ties to John Harrington right?
Just the page on his photos of airline food is worth the price of admission....a few minutes in total wasteland on the internet...click here for that:
http://elahi.rutgers.edu/track/1.htm
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