Textual Poaching

Artist Statement

          Since the beginning of my life I have always been a little brother. Being a little brother hasn’t always been an easy thing, and especially so when the older sibling is a sister. For my textual poaching I took a music video of the boy band N’SYNC that was popular just barely after my birth, but greatly influenced those around me, especially my older sister. Because of this, I was inadvertently affected by it, and have created a product that exemplifies this influence in my life.

          My older sister was born in the late 80s and because of this she got the full experience of the 90s. She had always been a fan of the arts and wanted to see her director dreams be realized in any way possible. This led to the many productions and pieces that left me, the younger brother, to star in, whether I liked it or not. This piece of media is especially identifiable with me, however, because it marked one form of how I was able to bond with my sister and have a stronger relationship with her. I placed within the actual music video, real footage from my childhood in which I danced along with the N’SYNC song. I feel that this represents the importance that this project has in my personal life, and shows the lengths I was willing to go to make my sister happy.

          In class we took a look at the piece L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp. In his piece he changed something we all know very well and put his own style to it. In my own piece I also took something that is relatively well known and put my own style into it. I feel that Duchamp’s piece showed a bit of his personality. Perhaps he is a very wild and spontaneous person. By the piece I did you can tell that I’m a bit dorky but willing to try new things, even if it could be embarrassing to myself.

          Apart from the piece we looked at in class, another wonderful example of this concept can be seen in other works of art by Marcel Duchamp. One of his pieces, known as Fountain, is another interesting take on something we all know so well. He took a urinal and photographed it and altered it in such a way that it has become something of value. When making art, we must make something that can be valued, and he did so by taking an ordinary object. I tried to take a common video and turn it into something personal, and something that I can value myself.

          Being the little brother is full of many different experiences, good and bad, but I am happy to say that most of mine have been good. Although it has led to me doing some pretty outrageous things, I’m glad I did them. Dancing along to the music of N’SYNC has become more than just a passing fandom to me, but instead had become a treasured memory that is my own to keep and value. The ordinary can become important to us; that is where we find extraordinary.